A Chance at Life
by KevlarKitten
Summary: A genetically modified, part cat, super soldier joins the cast of Avengers. Join them in their fight against Dr. Doom! Can they teach her to live? What will she give them in return? Hawkeye/OC M in later chapters.
1. Chapter 1 - The New Avenger

First Chance At Life

_A/N: This is a Hawkeye/OC story but I have been thinking of writing an alternative story that is the same first chapter but Steve/OC after the first chapter. Let me know if that is something you would be interested in reading. Feed the muse: Favourite, Review or sign up for updates._

_My OC, Caterina, is loosely based on the TV show Dark Angel._

_**If you are looking for smut skip ahead to chapter 20.**_

_Enjoy!_

Chapter 1 – The new avenger

Director Fury watched silently as the Avenger team filed into the conference room at SHIELD headquarters. His gaze lingered on each person, wondering how they would take the addition of a new member to the team. Steve, he knew, would try his best to make Caterina feel at home. Thor could always be counted on to be jovial and Dr. Banner would be reserved but polite as usual. Fury turned to take in the three people sitting on the other side of the conference table. These were the people he was unsure about. Tony was not easy to get along with normally but he would be even more precocious in the company of a new female agent. How Natasha and Clint would react beyond professional detachment was anyone's guess. Those two would almost certainly be the most reserved in their trust. Without further a due Director Fury stepped up to the table and began the meeting.

"Let's get started, shall we?" Began the Director and everyone turned to look at him. "I called you all here to introduce you to a new Avenger." No one spoke but they exchanged startled glances. It had been months since the battle of Manhattan and they were finally starting to work well as a team. Now they would have a new personality to deal with. Fury let them have a moment before continuing. "Her call sign is Shadow Cat. She is a genetically engineered human." All eyes turned to look at Steve but it was Bruce who asked what they were all thinking. "Was it something like the serum used on the Captain?"

Director Fury took a moment to respond, "No, Shadow Cat's DNA was engineered not enhanced. It was modified at the embryo stage so more significant changes could be made. She does share many of the enhanced physical attributes of Captain Rogers along with a few additions. Her fighting style has more in common with Agent Romanov than anyone." Fury paused to let them consider the possible benefits of adding someone like that to the team. He could see Dr. Banner and Tony Stark sharing a look and he knew they wanted to study the science behind what he was saying.

"I want to warn you," Fury went on, "that she had an…unorthodox life. She was raised in a military compound since birth and has never been part of a normal society. She did not even have a name, other than her call sign, before we liberated her just over a year ago. Since that time she has made significant progress intergrading into a more relaxed atmosphere but she has still never been outside, around civilians." Surprised glances were exchanged again by the people around the table, this time accompanied by some murmured comments. Of the entire team only Natasha had insight into what a childhood along those lines would be like and she would not wish that on anyone.

"Before I have her brought in I just want to warn you again that her social skills are a bit under developed so keep that in mind. In addition, her modified DNA may have given her enhanced abilities but it also altered her physical appearance, you will see what I mean in a moment. She is quite sensitive to stares so try not to act too surprised." All eyes turned to Tony. They knew he had a habit of making people uncomfortable and speaking without considering other people's feelings. Tony tried to look both innocent and aghast that they would suggest he didn't know how to act. After a moment he held up his hands in surrender, "I promise to be nice, happy?"

Fury did not show it to anyone but his heart ached for everything Shadow Cat has gone through. He has the ability to protect her from Upsilon Pharmaceutical but not from the stares her appearance drew. She would never be considered normal by the world at large, never be fully accepted and he felt sorry about that. He took a breath, pushing aside his inner musings. If Shadow Cat could find a home anywhere it would be among this seemingly mismatched group of people just as different as she was. Fury knew he would never be able to predict if this arrangement would work so he might as well throw them together and hope for the best.

He pressed a button on the table which signalled to Agent Hill in the hallway that he was ready for Shadow Cat. All eyes snapped to the door when it opened. A young looking woman marched in and came to attention at the end of the conference table opposite Fury, three members of the Avengers seated on each side of the table between them. Fury let his eyes roam over her, trying to see her as the others would. She stood around 5'5 and he knew that under her baggy black fatigues her figure was hardened muscle punctuated by feminine curves. His eyes automatically sought out what she refered to as her defects, the traits mutated when feline DNA was knitted with her own. The larger canine teeth and pointed ears were hidden for the moment behind her lush lips and loose brown hair. Her high cheekbones and almond shaped eyes added to the exotic elfish look her pointed ears were reminiscent of. The only visible mutation at the moment starred back at him. Her yellow-green cat like eyes, with the vertical pupils often made others uncomfortable. He could only hope the original members of the Avengers would take his warning to heart and not stare.

He watched as she remembered that standing at attention is not necessary and slid into an 'at ease' position, feet spread, and hands clasped behind her back. He could feel a smile tugging at his lips but suppressed it. After more than a year away from the Upsilon compound she still had not gotten the hang of relaxing or standing casually. "Shadow Cat, as we discussed earlier I think you are ready to join a new team so I would like you to meet the Avengers. Everyone please introduce yourselves and keep in mind that Cat has not seen the news coverage of the battle of Manhattan or read your files."

Steve stood up from his chair, which happened to be closest to her end of the table and offered his hand for her to shake. "Captain Steve Rogers Ma'am pleased to meet you, Captain America to the rest of the world. I was given a serum that enhanced my physical attributes. Welcome to the Avengers." He finished with a smile. Caterina hesitated for a moment before shaking his hand and offering him a small one-sided smile in return. She was quite impressed that no one in the room showed any reaction to her unusual eyes but did not show it. She could only hope the Captain would be as welcoming when he saw her teeth and ears.

The Captain returned to his seat and her attention moved to Thor, who was seated beside the Captain. His booming voice was loud in the small room, "It is good to make your acquaintance Lady Cat. I am Thor son of Odin from Asgard. You humans call me the God of Thunder. We will feast together and drink merrily soon!" Cat eyed him with a bit of confusion. She had spent enough time among the SHIELD staff to know that his mannerisms were unique. She also had not been briefed on where or what Asgard was but the fact he separated himself from human was enough information from now. She offered him a nod as well.

"Dr. Bruce Banner. Pleased to meet you Shadow Cat. I have a doctorate in nuclear physics and am an adequate medical doctor as well." Bruce said in his soft, pleasing voice. When it looked like he was not going to say more, Tony cleared his throat and looked at him pointedly. Bruce sighed, "And I can turn into a large, green, strong, and pretty much indestructible creature that people like to call the Hulk. I prefer to say the other guy." He turned from Shadow Cat to Tony as if daring him to say anything else about his introduction. Tony just gave him a cocky grin.

Shadow Cat turned her gaze to the other side of the table where Tony was sitting farthest from her. "Tony Stark. Billionaire, genius, philanthropist and of course I am the Iron Man." He got up from his chair and walked past Natasha and Clint to hold out his hand to her. She put her hand in his but was surprised when he bent to kiss the back of it instead of shaking it. Cat quickly pulled her hand back, looking somewhat horrified and wiped it on the leg of her pants. Tony gave her his dazzling smile and returned to his seat looking cocky.

Natasha threw Tony a glare for his behaviour then turned to study Shadow Cat. "Agent Natasha Romanov, Black Widow in the field. I am an expert at infiltration, interrogation, information gathering and hand to hand combat." She said in a quiet tone. The two women paused for a moment, sizing each other up. Everyone in the room waited to see what would happen next. Something unspoken happened between the women because suddenly they offered friendly smiles. Natasha was normally very cautious about offering her friendship but she and Shadow Cat were two of a kind.

Still smiling a little Cat turned to the last member at the table. The smile faded when she took in the way his serious eyes were studying her intently. She returned his careful inventory in kind. His short, dirty blonde hair was ruffled like he often ran his fingers through it. His eyes, which kept drawing hers back to them, were a crystal clear blue. As they moved over her body she felt the urge to shiver but she was not sure why. "Agent Clint Barton. Sharpshooter, with a preference for the bow. They sometimes call me Hawkeye." His voice was gruff and his speech straight to the point. She took a moment longer to note the breadth of his shoulders and the ridges of muscle under his t-shirt. Despite knowing that some of the other people in the room had extra-human abilities she felt the most cautious of this Hawkeye. She only took her eyes from his when Fury began speaking again.

"Please introduce yourself Caterina." She went back to full attention and focused her eyes on a point above the Director's head as she began to talk in a dispassionate voice. "My name is Shadow Cat though since being liberated from the Upsilon training compound Director Fury has assigned me the name Caterina Marcos. I was genetically engineered before conception and this has given me enhanced speed and strength. Part of my DNA sequence was adapted from various felines which has given me incredible night vision, heightened senses and better agility. This also lead to the," she pauses for a moment, "_alterations _in my eyes, teeth and ears." Since she began speaking they all had a chance to see the sharpened upper and lower canines. As she spoke she pushed her hair back so they would see the pointed tips of her ears. Cat did not look at the team, avoiding their reactions. "I was raised in total seclusion on a military training base so many of your references or sayings might have to be explained."

It was obvious that she was done speaking because she returned to her more relaxed stance. She still avoided looking at anyone other than the director. Shadow cat did not want to see the fear or disgust written on any more faces than she had to. Even the SHIELD agents she had worked with in the past year often stared at her when they thought she was not looking. She just did her best to ignore it.

The Director's deep voice cut through her inner monologue, "I am expecting all of you to make an effort to include Caterina as part of the team. She will be moving into Stark Tower this afternoon." He informed the others. To Cat he said, "Gather your things and report to the motorpool for transfer. Dismissed."

Caterina turned and strode out the door on her way to her quarters. She was aware of the other Avengers following her out of the conference room but paid them no mind until she heard someone following her instead of heading towards the exit. She turned to see Steve coming after her. When he caught up with her he spoke, "Would you like help with your bags?"

She eyed him curiously. Growing up in the military each soldier was responsible for their own gear. "Why?" She asked. He smiled at her. "Because where I come from it is considered polite to help a teammate." She considered this for a moment, glancing at Natasha who was still standing outside the door watching. Natasha gave the slightest nod of her head indicating she thought it was a good idea so Cat agreed.

In her quarters Steve found all her belongings already packed in a large military issue duffle bag. There wasn't much use for personal items on a military base he supposed. He slung the strap over his shoulder easily though he knew for a normal person it would have been quite heavy. His attention turned to Cat who stood standing in the middle of the tiny room that had been her home for the last year. The closest thing to a home she had ever had anyway. At last she moved to the bed and snatched up a thick throw pillow and hugged it to her chest before slinging it under her arm. Steve couldn't help but smile at the embroidered kittens that scampered across the pillow. This woman could snap someone in half but she wanted a pillow with kittens playing on it. There was more to her than meets first glance.

They set off on the way to the parking garage, walking in silence for a time. Steve cleared his throat, "You know Thor and I also aren't up on pop culture or turns of phrase." Cat raised an eyebrow in question. "Thor I understand, being from Asgard, whatever that means, but why are you out of the loop?"

Steve gave a tight smile, thinking for a split second about the plane diving down towards the frozen ocean. "It's a long story but basically I was frozen for 70 years. When I woke up the whole world was a different place. I am slowly getting used to most of the technology but the changes in culture are the hardest." When he didn't go on Cat watched him out of the corner of her odd coloured eyes. She didn't feel comfortable pressing him for details, not when he looked so grim. 'Maybe,' she thought, 'this team will be different than the other SHIELD teams she had been assigned to.' She wondered what it would be like to feel like part of the group instead of an outsider just lurking around the edges.

They reached the desk of the Agent on duty in the parking garage before either of them broke the comfortable silence. Steve requested a car and signed the required forms before being handed a set of keys and directed to the proper lot number. He slung the duffle bag across the bench seat in the back of the matte black SUV while Caterina got in the passenger seat, her pillow cuddled on her lap. He hopped in the driver's seat and turned to study Cat. "Are you ready?" He asked in a soft tone. She wasn't sure why but she got the feeling he was asking about more than their immediate departure. She met his eyes and gave him a firm nod. There was no point in delaying the inevitable, no matter how much she would like to stay in the realm of what she had come to know.


	2. Chapter 2 - A new home?

A Chance At Life

_A/N: I know! Just not enough Hawkeye stories out there. Thank you so much for the reviews and story follows! They really help me stay focused on the next chapter. I have a lot of trouble with mixing tenses since I tend to be easily distracted. I try to proof read them out but let me know if you find some glaring errors I need to fix!_

_**Previously**_

"_Are you ready?" Steve asked in a soft tone. Cat wasn't sure why but she got the feeling he was asking about more than their immediate departure. She met his eyes and gave him a firm nod. There was no point in delaying the inevitable, no matter how much she would like to stay in the realm of what she had come to know._

Chapter 2 – A new home?

Caterina had to put on her soldier face to stop from gaping at the size of Stark Tower when they drove up to it. It felt like diving into the belly of the whale as Steve swiped his passcard at the entrance to the secure parking lot to drive under the tower. When he parked in an available spot he shut off the car and turned to look at her. The question was in his eyes but he didn't ask again if she was ready. Cat took a steadying breath and stepped out of the SUV.

Steve slipped her bag back onto his shoulder and directed her to the elevator. His passcard tapped on the sensor gained them access to the penthouse suits used by the Avengers team. The elevator doors slid open soundlessly to reveal a spacious sunlight room acting as a lounge, dining room and kitchen area. She could see a curved patio on the other side of the glass wall to her right past a set of plush looking sofas and chairs arranged in a square. The rich cherry wood of the kitchen cabinets and island were directly in front of her. It matched the large dining set nestled between the kitchen and couches. To her left she could see two steps going up into a long hallway. There was also an open arch to the left of the kitchen but she couldn't guess what lay beyond yet.

Tony Stark strolled up to the pair who had stopped a few feet from the elevator doors so that Caterina could take a look around. She felt overwhelmed and out of her element in the plush surroundings. Turning to face Stark she eyed him suspiciously. After his unexpected actions earlier she was not planning to let her guard down around him for a while. As if he read her mind Tony held up his hands in a placating gesture. "Just want to show you to your room Miss Marcos." She accepted his wordless truce. "Of course Mr. Stark. Thank you for letting me stay with you."

Tony had begun heading towards the hallway Cat had noticed on the left but at her words turned back to face her and Steve. "Call me Tony. Whenever someone says Mr. Stark I start looking around for my father and this is the base for the Avengers, which you have just become so you are as entitled to stay here as any of us." His smile softened his rebuttal and she gave a half smile to show she understood.

He led her up the two steps and down a hallway, taking a right turn when it connected with another. He stopped before long and opened a door at the end of the hallway. Tony motioned Caterina and Steve through before joining them. The Captain set the duffle bag on the end of the large bed with its mahogany headboard and fluffy white duvet before retreating back to join Tony by the door. Caterina walked into the middle of the room and looked around herself. To her right was the bed with matching dark wood side tables, to her left an empty built in bookshelf beside a desk with a computer on it. Across from the door was a large bay window with a cushioned bench nestled into it. The floor was hardwood but plush rugs featuring abstract geometric designs blanketed the floor on either side of the bed and next to the window seat. There was a door on the far side of the bed which Tony pointed out led to her private bathroom. She turned to face the two men standing by the doorway and she noted the large dresser on the wall by the door.

"This whole room is just for me?" Cat asked, her voice neutral. Tony grinned, pleased with himself and nodded. "I wasn't sure what colour you would like so I left it a neutral cream colour for now. When you decide just let JARVIS know and he will send some workmen up to paint it." She turned and set the pillow she had been clutching on the bed. Her hand shifted to stroke the soft bedspread for a moment, "I have never had a room that wasn't white." She paused thoughtfully. "Who is JARVIS?"

Tony chuckled at himself for not explaining. "JARVIS is the artificial intelligence built into just about every part of the building. Just let him know when you need anything. He can turn on the shower for you, wake you up at a set time, tint your window, lock your door and just about everything else you can imagine." He finished speaking and grinned with pride at the astonished look slipping through Caterina's stoic exterior.

"Why thank you for the vote of confidence sir and pleased to meet you Miss Marcos," said a British voice out of nowhere. The unexpected voice made Shadow Cat drop into a defensive crouch, the speed of which cause the two men in the room to step back out of reflex. Cat sheepishly stood up. "I take it that was JARVIS?" She asked. Tony nodded and she took a calming breath. Steve and Tony glanced at each other and headed toward the door. "We will leave you to get settled and unpack. Lunch will be around noon. We don't usually all eat together but we thought since it was your first day we would all sit down together. Do you have any special diet requirements?" Cat told them she didn't need anything special and she would see them in a couple hours.

Once the door was closed Shadow Cat set about unpacking. The few non-army issued items she owned were all things like body wash and shampoo so she set them aside to take to the bathroom later. She arranged her fatigues, shirts, and jackets neatly in the dresser and turned her attention to the small pile of items for the bathroom. They were arranged efficiently into a little carrying basket for easy transportation. This would be the first time Caterina would not be sharing a group shower with several other women. It would be the first time she had her own bathroom period!

With anticipation she moved over to the closed door leading to the bathroom, basket of soaps in hand, and slowly opened it. The room beyond was larger than her recently vacated sleeping quarters at SHIELD. It was decorated tastefully in white and black. There was lots of counter space, a complex looking shower with lots of nozzles and a Jacuzzi tub. In her entire life Caterina had never had a bath. She knew about them of course but neither the Upsilon compound or SHIELD HQ had any tubs for her to take one. At least this would probably be a new experience that was guaranteed to be enjoyable, when she finally tried it.

After she arranged the shampoos, soaps and other bathroom things in the built in shower shelves she sat on the end of her new bed and considered what Tony had said about painting the room. "JARVIS," she said after thinking for a few minutes. "Yes Miss Marcos," his smoothly accented voice replied. "I'm not sure about painting the room but is there a way to get a piece of art to hang between the window and the bathroom door?"

The next hour was spent selecting a picture to put on the wall. JARVIS had suggested they install an LCD screen so a series of pictures could eventually be set or changed on a whim. Cat thought this was a good idea and couldn't wait to see the waterfall picture she had selected on the screen once it was installed. By the time she had finished selecting the details it was time to head to the kitchen for lunch.

_A/N: In the next chapter she meets Pepper, spars with Natasha and gets some much needed one on one time with Clint (no smut yet sorry ladies). Stay tuned!_


	3. Chapter 3 - Bonding and Bruises

A Chance At Life

_A/N: I know I promised some alone time with Barton this chapter but it was getting a little long. I hope the quick update makes up for it. The next chapter should also be up quickly and it has a lot more Caterina/Barton in it!_

_**Previously**_

_The next hour was spent selecting a picture to put on the wall. JARVIS had suggested they install an LCD screen so a series of pictures could eventually be set or changed on a whim. Cat thought this was a good idea and couldn't wait to see the waterfall picture she had selected on the screen once it was installed. By the time she had finished selecting the details it was time to head to the kitchen for lunch._

Chapter 3 – Bonding and Bruises

In the kitchen Shadow Cat found Natasha, Dr. Banner, Tony and an unknown woman in a stylish business suit. They turned as she approached and Tony put his hand on Pepper's lower back. "Caterina Marcos this is my girlfriend Pepper Potts. Pepper please say hello to Shadow Cat, our newest super soldier and part cat. No really she is part cat." Pepper smiled at Tony lovingly and held out her hand for Caterina to shake. "Pleased to meet you Caterina. I hope Tony has been behaving himself." She rolled her eyes at the absurdity of the suggestion that Tony was capable of actually not offending someone. Cat returned her greeting and actually gave a toothy grin to Pepper over the Tony comment. Pepper smiled back, not even batting an eyelash at her teeth or eyes. Cat was _really_ starting to like how these people treated her like a normal person.

The introductions and harassing Tony were interrupted by a chorus of shouts from the archway beside the kitchen. Caterina took a few steps around the kitchen island so she could see into the room beyond. There she spotted Clint, Steve, and Thor watching football on TV. Apparently something exciting had just happened because all three were cheering. Thor's booming voice cut through the others', "I like this Earth game Steve! We should play." Tony leaned his head into the room to yell 'Not in the house' which made everyone burst out laughing.

A knock at the door signalled that lunch had arrived. Pepper went to the door to direct the catering staff where to set their trays. Natasha practically had to drag the men away from the sports channel to get them into the kitchen as the staff left. Hot dogs, hamburgers and cheeseburgers had been prepared on grills with lots of condiments and toppings for the Avengers to choose from. Everyone loaded up their plates with their preference but Caterina hung back, being overwhelmed by the options. The food was nothing like the army rations she was used to. Pepper saw her confusion and offered some helpful tips. She urged her to try both a hotdog and cheeseburger. Cat opted for just ketchup on the former but the latter Pepper directed her to try onions and lettuce with ketchup again.

The rest of the team had noticed Pepper helping Shadow Cat and were now eager to hear how she liked the food. She told them honestly that it was probably the best food she had ever eaten. Everyone grinned at that comment, happy that they could introduce her to new things she enjoyed.

Cat got up to clean her dirty plate, or whatever they did with dirty dishes here. She went into the kitchen and rinsed the plate off but was at a loss of what to do with it next until Agent Barton came to put his dish away as well. He held out his hand for her plate and exchanged it for his dirty one. He pulled the edge of one cabinet towards the floor revealing a hidden dishwasher which he slide her plate into followed by the one Cat had just rinsed and returned to him. He closed up the dishwasher and looked up at Caterina who gave him a grateful smile. He gave her a nod in return and turned to go.

"Agent Barton?" she said, which made him turn back. "Could you tell me where I can do some yoga and stretches this afternoon?" He nodded, "Sure would you like me to show you the gym areas now?" When she said yes he headed off to the elevator with her in tow. He explained that the floor below their living quarters housed the labs and medical centre, below that was the indoor firing range and then they came to the floor they wanted. He pointed out the room on one side that had the weight benches and treadmills. He stopped at the door to sparring room, "This is the room you want. There is a large area of mats on the floor we use for sparring that should be good for your yoga. At the end of the hall is the pool and hot tub too. Thus ends your tour of Stark Towers. Do you need anything else?" The corner of his mouth quirked up and Caterina felt herself give an answering smile automatically. "No, thank you very much Agent Barton." He gave a mock salute and his smile got broader before he made his way back to the elevator.

Caterina was still chuckling at his impish behaviour when she went in to check out the sparring room. She noticed a few punching bags hung to one side, a traditional boxing ring and the open mats that Hawkeye had mentioned. Cat stripped off her utility belt, boots and leather SHIELD jacket revealing a black T-shirt that clung to her body like a second skin. Hastily she pulled her hair back into a pony tail, securing it with an elastic from her wrist. For the next hour she stretched, flipped and did katas until her muscles ached pleasantly from the strain.

Slipping on her boots and gathering up her other things she made her way back to the elevator. On her way up to the main floor she shook out her hair, enjoying having it free from the tight ponytail. The entire Avengers team was lounging around the seating area and they turned smiling faces toward her when she got off the elevator. Cat, true to her DNA, was curious as to what they were up to because she was sure it had something to do with her. They moved closer to her and she felt herself tense even though they were still smiling. Steve had his hands behind his back which made her more uncomfortable. Telling herself that she was being paranoid she gritted her teeth and didn't move.

It wasn't long before Shadow Cat knew she had made the right decision in overriding her fight or flight response to the perceived threat. "We thought we should do something to welcome you to the team," Steve began and Cat's curious nature at once over rode the small voice of fear. He continued to speak and it was clear he was getting a little flustered being out of his usual element. "And, uhm, well it was Natasha's idea and Thor picked it out. Here." He cut himself off when Natasha prodded him with her elbow and pulled out what had been hidden behind his back.

Caterina took the little toy tiger and stroked her hand over the soft fur. She felt a rush of emotions that she was not used to dealing with. Turning the tiger in her hands she looked at its face. Its tongue was lolling out in a funny manner and the glass eyes were a reflection of her own feline orbs. Cat raised her gaze to look carefully at each of her new teammates in turn, hoping they could see what this meant to her. "I don't know what to say. Thank you doesn't seem like enough," she said softly.

Out of nowhere Thor stepped toward her with his arms outstretched. Cat's reflexes kicked in and she flattened her back against the wall. The tiger was still clutched in one hand which was held before her ready to strike back at any attack. Her heart hammered in her chest spreading adrenaline through her body in response to the sudden action. Thankfully Thor had stopped in confusion when she moved and Agent Romanov was quick to take control. Her hand on Thor's arm urged him to step back. She moved towards Cat, her hands held open in front of her in an attempt to impart a peaceful air. "Shadow Cat, listen to me. Thor did not mean to seem threatening. He was trying to give you a hug to express his feelings of friendship for you."

Natasha did not dare to get any closer to Cat for fear of making the situation worse. Everyone else in the room, at least, had the good sense to freeze and stay quiet. Finally those strange tiger-like eyes flicked to hers and she was able to breathe a sigh of relief. Caterina slumped against the wall for a moment. The adrenaline leaving her system always made her shaky for a moment. "I'm so sorry guys I am just not used to having anyone so close to me," she said without being able to meet their eyes. She felt ashamed of her actions but her reaction had happened before her brain had even registered if there was a threat. Reflexes like that would keep her alive in battle but it also wouldn't make her popular with friends.

The murmurs of understanding and reassurance followed her down the hall towards her room. The door had only been closed a moment, her body resting against it, when someone knocked softly. Cat looked up at the ceiling trying to find strength and composure. She wasn't sure when she had picked up that habit at SHIELD or why people did that but it seemed to help.

On the other side of the door was Natasha. Cat searched but found no hint of anger or pity in the other woman's face over her actions. Before Cat could ask what she wanted, Natasha spoke, "I could use a sparring partner and I bet you could use a good fight to release some tension, am I right?" Caterina's big eyes blinked in shock for a moment. That was a great idea, and she told Natasha so. "Great! I'll meet you in the sparring room in ten minutes. Bring boxing wraps; I prefer to fight without gloves." She spun on her heel and marched off, presumably to her own room. Cat stood in the doorway going over what had just happened in her mind. This place, these people, continued to surprise and delight her and it was only her first day.

xXx

It was exactly ten minutes later that the two female Avengers met in the sparring room. They were both dressed in similar black pants and t-shirts and their hands were sheathed in protective boxing wraps. Natasha watched as Cat pulled her hair back into a braid, her own signature red hair left to curl against her shoulders. Rueful smiles were exchanged as they took fighting stances around roughly the centre of the mats.

Each nodded to the other and a second later the Black Widow earned her name, striking with extraordinary speed, for a human. Shadow Cat was not entirely human though and easily ducked out of the line of the incoming fist. She retaliated by dropping into a crouch and shooting off a sweep kick that Natasha easily jumped. Her feet hardly seemed to touch the floor before a vicious knee was on its way to Cat's face. This time Cat had underestimated her opponent's speed and didn't manage to avoid the hit entirely. The hard surface of the patella connected with her mouth, splitting her lip. At least her attempt to dodge deflected the force enough that none of her teeth were broken.

Caterina refocused her attention on the battle. She was well versed in putting such minor pain out of her mind. The rush of adrenaline the blow brought made her feel edgy and ready to retaliate. The hit to her face had snapped her head back but not knocked her from her crouched position. Natasha had just regained her footing by the time Cat's quick mind had cleared the sting away.

With a move that Natasha was sure no regular human would have been capable of, Shadow Cat launched herself directly from her crouch to tackle her to the mat. Natasha struggled, twisting, bending, rolling, and flexing but she could not shake the other woman off. Finally Cat had her pinned to the mat by a forearm against her throat. Her arms were pinned to her sides by a powerful set of thighs. Her eyes met the fierce feline ones and with a nod she admitted defeat.

Caterina's bloody smile as she scrambled up and held out her hand to Black Widow was not condescending or even full of pride. It was instead just a smile of pure enjoyment. "Natasha that was the best fight I have had since Upsilon. I've never seen a pure human move so fast! Oh I'm sorry can I call you Natasha? I wasn't thinking!" The other woman had to laugh as she was helped to her feet. The tone of childlike happiness was infectious. "Of course you can call me Natasha! It is what I prefer actually," She smiled. "I have been losing more matches than I like to admit since I started working with the Avengers. There are too many of you super soldiers around here for a fair match!" She smiled to let Caterina know she didn't really mind. The answering smile from Cat was tinged by a little pain from the split lip. Her accelerated healing was not as good as the Captain's Natasha noticed. "Come on, we had better get that lip looked at by Dr. Banner."

Hem of her shirt lifted to her mouth to staunch the flow of blood Cat let Natasha lead her up two levels to the floor with the medical bay and Bruce's lab. She had JARVIS page him while they waited for the elevator. His eyes when they entered the sterile little room were amused. "Your first day and already needing to be stitched back together. Things are going to be a little more interesting around here from now on, I think." She tried to smile in response to his good natured ribbing but the pang of pain reminded her why she was there. Pulling the shirt away from her face she presented her face for him to look at. "Don't worry I won't be underestimating Black Widow again. Besides I may have lost the battle but I won the war." The amusement in her eyes showed the red head she meant no disrespect.

Bruce took her chin in his hand and turned her face this way and that. "Well, you don't heal as quickly as the Captain but the blood flow has already stopped. It is pulling open a bit so I should probably use some butterfly strips to hold it together for now to be sure it heals seamlessly. Does that sound good to you?" Cat didn't want to talk while he was looking at her mouth so she gave the tiniest nod. Bruce talked while he got out the supplies he needed, "I think it was worse because your lip caught on one of your sharper teeth. Have you given any thought to having them ground down?"

He and Natasha did not miss the flash of pain that crossed her features. They knew it had nothing to do with the pain from her lip. "I looked in to it when I was at SHIELD. Apparently the nerve goes almost to the end so they can't be shortened unless I have them removed and fake teeth put in their place. I didn't want to go to those extremes to be rid of them." She closed her eyes as she spoke.

Dr. Banner looked at the other woman in the room and saw the same emotions reflected in her eyes. Natasha pretended to be interested in something over by the door to give Cat some space. Bruce put his hand gently on her arm. "I'm really sorry I said anything okay, I wasn't thinking." Her exotic almond shaped eyes slide open to meet his. He was relieved to see they did not hold any anger towards him. He smiled softly and went back to tending her wound. Placing a strip of tape against one side of the cut, he tugged the tape gently until the cut was aligned perfectly then pressed down the remainder of the tape holding the whole thing in place. He placed another strip to help hold it all together then pronounced his work finished.

The women said thank you to the doctor as the three of them stepped into the hallway together. Bruce headed back to his lab, in the opposite direction of the elevator. Natasha checked the time and suggested they take a shower before dinner. "I thought Pepper said at lunch we don't usually eat together?" questioned Cat, making sure to speak slowly for the sake of her lip. Natasha nodded in agreement. "Usually we don't but it happens to be Monday which is the one day a week we try to get together. We take turns picking what to have, this week its Steve's turn to choose."

They had reached the main floor as they talked and Hawkeye overheard the end of the conversation on his way from the fridge to the theatre room. "Yeah and when Steve picks you can be sure it will be something boring!" Cat shook with silent laughter when someone inside the TV room, Steve she suspected, threw a ball of paper that hit Clint in the face. Natasha told her she had about forty-five minutes until dinner would be served then headed off in the direction of her own room.

_A/N: I warned you it was a long chapter! I hope you still enjoyed it and that I didn't make any glaring errors I missed in review. The next chapter has a wet, topless Hawkeye swimming in the pool so I hope that brings you back for more! I already have the outline so it should be up in a week or less!_


	4. Chapter 4 - Wait an Hour After Eating

A Chance At Life

_**Previously**_

_They had reached the main floor as they talked and Hawkeye overheard the end of the conversation on his way from the fridge to the theatre room. "Yeah and when Steve picks you can be sure it will be something boring!" Cat shook with silent laughter when someone inside the TV room, Steve she suspected, threw a ball of paper that hit Clint in the face. Natasha told her she had about forty-five minutes until dinner would be served then headed off in the direction of her own room._

Chapter 4 – Wait an hour after eating

It was a strange experience for Caterina to ask JARVIS to start a shower for her. She thought it was like one of the space movies she had watched at SHIELD. The water was warm and she delighted in soaking in the heat before turning off the water. The towel was soft and she squeezed it around herself, inhaling the relaxing scent that surrounded her. She ran a brush through her damp hair and went in search of clean clothes. Her black T-shirt was stiff with dried blood so she threw it into the garbage. Cat pulled on camouflage pants this time and a white T-shirt before she headed down to dinner.

Steve and Thor were already seated at the table. Tony, Pepper and Bruce stepped off the elevator as Cat sat down. A moment later Hawkeye and Natasha came down the hallway from their own rooms so everyone was soon seated at the table. The Captain informed them that he picked pot roast, mashed potatoes and green beans for dinner. Pepper politely told him it looked good and Natasha gave Clint a glare to stop him from complaining again.

Caterina didn't say anything but secretly she was pleased that it would be a simple meal more like she was used to. She suspected if Tony or Clint had chosen the meal it would have been something exotic and spicy like she had often smelled agents at SHIELD heating up for lunch. It was probably best to ease into things like that she supposed.

While everyone else ate Thor paused to apologize for startling her earlier. Cat smiled politely and told him it was her fault for over reacting. He smiled before going back to his massive plate of food. They finished the rest of the meal chatting about the on going projects to rebuild Manhattan and various changes Tony was going to make to people's equipment. He turned to Cat and asked if she had a suit. She cocked her head to the side shaking her head. "A suit? For what?"

Tony waved his hand vaguely in the air as he talked. "You know, a superhero costume. It's great for branding." This just makes Shadow Cat even more perplexed. "Never mind. I'll work up some options for you, _tasteful_ options." He amended after glares from most of the team were levelled at him. For her part Cat just shrugged and went back to eating.

They each cleaned up their dishes as they finished eating. Caterina waited around when she noticed no one was heading off in their own directions like they had after lunch. Natasha motioned her into the movie theatre, "We are going to watch a movie. Join us?" Of course Cat said yes because the rest of the team had already headed in to sit down.

Three couches were arranged in a U-shape around the projector screen with two recliners at the far corners. By the time Cat entered the room she was the last to arrive and only had the option of sitting on the love seat next to Hawkeye. The two recliners were occupied by Steve and Natasha. Tony and Pepper snuggled on one couch while Thor sprawled on the other. Tony had JARVIS dim the lights and start the movie.

It was some action movie about an assassin who had lost his memory. Cat found it quite interesting and loved how every once in a while Natasha would snort in derision at one thing or another. When the movie had been playing for a while, Caterina shifted her feet out of her boots and tucked them up on to the couch beside her. They brushed against Clint's leg accidentally. She jerked them back and smiled at him apologetically. His blue eyes sparkled with amusement and his grin grew. He patted his leg to indicate she could put her feet there if she wanted but she just returned her attention to the movie.

Not long after curling up on the couch Caterina's head shifted down to the arm of the couch. The leather felt soft against her face and she found the smell very relaxing. It was not long before she was sound asleep, or as sound asleep as she ever gets. The tension in her legs relaxed and her feet slid to rest against Hawkeye's leg again. The combination of the comfortable couch and soothing heat coming from his leg soon had her purring in her sleep. The other Avengers shot her startled glances until they noticed she was sleeping and chose to ignore the soft sound, not waking her until the movie ended.

Shadow Cat woke up to someone calling her name. She blinked and sat up on the couch. The first thing she noticed was that the movie was turned off. The second thing was that everyone was starring at her, looking amused. "What?" She looked down at herself to see what might be drawing their attention. It was Tony who spoke up, "Do you always purr in your sleep?" Misunderstanding the question Cat was quick to go on the defensive. "Don't worry I don't purr on missions. I only purr when I am feeling safe and content. That doesn't happen very often. Sorry." Clint was quick to sooth her. "Woah! We weren't asking because we thought it was a problem. It is just unusual and a little funny to hear a tough soldier purring." His full lips quirked up into a lopsided smile that made his eyes sparkle with merriment. She checked the other faces and saw the same amusement. She gave an embarrassed smile in return, "At least I don't snore." That comment launched everyone into animated conversation about whose snores were the worst. The decision was split between Steve and Thor, both of which looked uncomfortable being singled out.

When the conversation began to die down Cat stood up and announced she was going for a swim before bed. Clint though about it for a second, "Can I come with you?" Caterina cocked her head to the side and gave him a perplexed look. "Of course you can. The facilities are more than big enough for two people." He looked surprised for a second then laughed. "No, I mean would you mind if I came along or would you prefer to be alone?"

"Oh," Cat said, "I don't mind if you want to swim. I'm actually not really used to being alone. I have to stop and get my bathing suit, as I am sure you do. So, I will meet you at the pool in a few minutes." Hawkeye nodded in agreement and headed down the hall toward his own room. Caterina grabbed her economical black one piece suit and a towel before heading down in the elevator to use the change room on the workout floor. She slipped the suit on and put her hair back into a ponytail, the strands of hair over the points of her ears. She made her way barefoot to the pool enclosure and was about to set her towel on a lounge chair when she heard the door open behind her.

Clint Barton strode in without a care in the world. Shadow Cat took in his sandal covered feet, muscled calves covered in a light sprinkling of hair and the black swim trunks with a purple stripe down the outside seam. Her eyes had just made it to the hem of his black SHIELD t-shirt when he pulled it over his head. She found herself starring at his flat abs, a chiselled chest and best of all his broad shoulders.

Turning she dove into the pool, hopefully before he noticed her roving gaze and the blush she could feel on her cheeks. Before leaving Upsilon she hadn't thought of men in any way different than women but she had learned at SHIELD about sexuality. Cat had learned to appreciate nice bodies of actors and men she met. The way her body heated up when she looked at Hawkeye was stronger than it had ever been before and it confused her. It was a pleasant feeling at least besides how it made her mouth go dry.

Shaking the thoughts out of her head Caterina did her best to ignore Clint and swam several hard laps. She felt pleasantly tired by the time she stopped swimming and began to float on her back. She kept one hand on the edge of the pool to keep her oriented and out of the path of Barton who was still doing lazy laps. Her thoughts were empty as she relaxed on top of the water.

The change in the ripples around her body alerted her to the fact that Hawkeye was beside her now. Cat shifted so that she was upright treading water again. She was unprepared for the heat that pooled in her stomach when she looked at Clint. His hair was wet and stuck up in tufts all over his head. Little beads of water ran down his cheek and dripped off his square jaw. Caterina licked her lips as she watched one droplet snake down the side of his neck and across the broad plain of his chest. When the fascinating drop reached the water her eyes shot back to his. He had an amused look on his face but thankfully didn't say anything about having just caught her checking him out.

"Cat, can I ask you a personal question?" He said in his deep voice, the amused expression replaced by a serious one. She nodded her head yes and waited to see what he would like to know. "Why do you always cover up your ears? Even when your hair is up you let it cover the top of them. I understand when you are out in public but around here you can be yourself." Caterina was amazed that he wasn't teasing. He really thought her ears didns't need to be hidden.

"Well," She began then paused to consider how much she should tell him, "At Upsilon, where I was made, I was considered a failure. They only wanted hybrids that could blend in. I wasn't treated very well because I had some visible differences. Later, when I was freed by SHIELD all the agents would whisper about how I looked when they thought I couldn't hear them. I can't tell you how many times I heard the words 'freak' or 'weird' after I walked past a group of people." When she finished speaking she was looking down at the water. She didn't want Hawkeye to see that it hurt or for her to see pity in his eyes.

"Shadow Cat, we all have things that make people talk behind our backs. Steve is a living legend around here and Thor is a god. Did you know they call Tony the merchant of death? Natasha and I are assassins. In the past we have been hardly more than murderers. And Dr. Banner? I think he has it the worst. Everyone is so scared he is going to suddenly turn into the Other Guy. They always stare at him looking for any sign he is going to snap. I can imagine what it was like for you at SHIELD HQ but you are in Avenger Tower now. This is the one place in the whole world where you can do exactly what you like without people staring at you. Just be careful what you do around Tony because he might never stop teasing you about things like purring in your sleep." He added the last to get a smile from her and it worked. Cat met his eye and gave him a grin that revealed her fangs. "Hawkeye I think I could hug you right now!" She almost laughed out.

"Well come on then. This might be the only chance I get for a hug from you!" He swam a few feet backwards to the shallow end and stood up. When Cat hesitated he motioned for her to join him. She stood awkwardly in front of him not really knowing how to go about this. Hawkeye reached out and took her hands. Gently he pulled her a step closer and slid her arms around his neck. His fingers trailed lightly down her arms and around her back to pull her closer. He gently squeezed her into a hug and she returned the pressure, closing her eyes at the sensation. Caterina could feel the stubble on his chin where it brushed against her temple. The height difference made her chin rest against his bare chest while they hugged. She could hear his heart beat and feel the warmth rolling off him despite his being wet. Goosebumps rose all over her body as she took in the feeling of his bare skin pressed against hers, his hard muscles pressing into her curves.

After a moment she opened her eyes and stepped back. "Thank you. I think that was wonderful as far as first hugs go." They smiled at each other for a moment then Cat moved to climb out of the pool and dry off. Clint did the same. "Can I ask you something personal now?" Cat asked, her head tilted to one side. At a nod she continued, "I was wondering if I could see you shoot sometime. I have never seen anyone shoot a bow."

A belly laugh followed her question. "That isn't really a personal question but of course you can come watch me anytime. I usually shoot after breakfast so how about you come down with me tomorrow?" Caterina grinned at him and agreed. "Tomorrow morning then."

They finished drying off and went their separate ways. Cat changed back into her regular clothes, brushed out her wet hair and went upstairs to bed. As she tucked herself under the thick duvet in her pajamas she thought back on the day. She had only gotten through one day with her new unit and already they were closer to her than anyone else in the past. Sure, it would take time to get used to each of their quirks but they treated her like a normal person, like one of them. She hugged the tiger they had given her to her chest and had JARVIS turn the lights off.

_A/N: Hope you enjoyed the topless Hawkeye. I'm still drooling over the image of water running down his body mmm! Also I hope you got the colour of his trunks is an ode to one of his original comic book costumes! Next chapter will be a short one but after that Pepper and Natasha take Caterina shopping!  
I will do my best to have the next two chapters up quickly but I am going to wait and post both at the same time since the next chapter isn't a big one. See you soon!_


	5. Chapter 5 - Firing Range

A Chance At Life

_A/N: Thank you Cara Tala and Jade Bottle for all the great reviews and encouragement! I just want this story to be finished so I can read it! I know the gist of what is going to happen next but I just want to see it all written down!_

_**Previously**_

_They finished drying off and went their separate ways. Cat changed back into her regular clothes, brushed out her wet hair and went upstairs to bed. As she tucked herself under the thick duvet in her pajamas she thought back on the day. She had only gotten through one day with her new unit and already they were closer to her than anyone else in the past. Sure, it would take time to get used to each of their quirks but they treated her like a normal person, like one of them. She hugged the tiger they had given her to her chest and had JARVIS turn the lights off._

Chapter 5 – Firing Range

Shadow Cat woke up instantly. She was confused for a moment as to where she was. There shouldn't be sunshine hitting her face when there was no window in her bunk at SHIELD. The bed was much too comfortable as well. That was when she finally woke up enough to remember all the events of the previous day. The tiger the team had gifted her was on the bed beside her which made her smile. JARVIS brought the lights up slowly as she sat up in bed and stretched. "Good morning Miss Marcos," came the posh British accent. "The time is 7:16am and the weather today is sunny with a high of 68 degrees Fahrenheit, 20 degrees Celsius. Would you like a copy of any news reports delivered to your personal computer?"

"Good morning JARVIS, no I don't need any news. Can you turn off the tinting on the windows so it's nice and sunny in here? Thanks." She went and stood beside the window seat, looking out at the city and stretching her body. After a moment of soaking up the warmth from the sun she went into the bathroom to get cleaned up. As usual the first thing she did was begin to put her hair up so it wouldn't be in the way while she washed her face and teeth. This morning things were a little different because midway through pulling her hair back she remembered Hawkeye's words. Carefully Cat tucked her hair behind her ears before pulling it up into a bun. She gave herself a confident smile at the new look.

After finishing her morning routine Shadow Cat dressed in a pair of her usual army fatigues and headed down to breakfast. She knew from conversations the day before that she would be on her own for most meals and the idea of cooking something for the first time was daunting. At least breakfast wasn't a scary meal in her opinion. If it came down to it she could always go with cereal for a while.

She made it to the kitchen to find Pepper, Natasha and Steve eating at the table. Cat grabbed herself a bowl of cereal and seated herself across from Pepper who asked if she slept well. "I slept really well thank you. I didn't know they made beds that big and comfortable! And don't get me started on the towels you have here."

Everyone at the table was grinning along with her when she had finished gushing. Natasha took in her clothes from head to toe, "Do you have any non-military issue clothes?" Caterina looked down at herself then back at Natasha. "No. What's wrong with these? They are comfortable and functional…." She trailed off at the look Natasha and Pepper were both giving her. "There is nothing _wrong_ with the clothes you are wearing," began Natasha. "You just aren't going to blend in like that if we have to go out," finished Pepper. Cat rolled her eyes with their vertical pupils at that comment. "Yeah because I am going to blend in so well if you just change my clothes."

Natasha opened her mouth to say something else but the Captain beat her to it. "It can't hurt. They made Thor and I get new clothes so that we fit in better as well. It's nothing personal to your tastes." Cat gave a laboured sigh and gave in. "Fine. I will let you take me shopping, but I am busy this morning." The girls made plans to take Cat for a new wardrobe after lunch.

Caterina was just putting her bowl into the dishwasher when Hawkeye dropped out of an open ventilation hatch in the ceiling. He landed gracefully after the ten foot drop. It must be a usual occurrence because no one else in the room gave him a second glace. "Agent Barton, what were you doing in the ceiling?" He grinned at her question. "I see better up high. Besides, it's good practice to get down here without using the floor." Cat just shook her head and finished up in the kitchen. Clint still needed to make breakfast so Cat sat on one of the stools at the kitchen island and watched him make a meal for himself.

Steve said he was going off to the gym and Pepper went to work. Natasha gave the two of them a look that Cat couldn't place before she disappeared to who knows where. Clint set about cooking himself breakfast when they were alone. "Agent Barton I didn't know you could cook." Clint gave her one of his signature smirks. "First of all, enough with all this Agent business, call me Barton, Clint, Hawkeye, heck pull a Tony and call me Robin Hood but not Agent Barton okay? We're friends after all. Second if I didn't learn how to cook I would have to eat out all the time. It's really not that hard. Hold a knife one way it kills, hold the knife another it makes great food." Cat arched an eyebrow at this flippant comment about killing people. It was how she was raised but even the agents in SHIELD usually shied away from the subject. From the first meeting she knew Hawkeye was dangerous and things continued to point in that direction. All the while he was working he gave Cat tips on cooking and discussed simple recipes she could try. The two of them sat in silence while Hawkeye ate his French toast.

He washed up his dishes. "So, you ready to check out the shooting range Kitten?" Cat started to get up at his words but she froze at the endearment. Clint noticed and winced, "Sorry it just slipped out!" Her eyes met his and she could see it wasn't an insult and nodded. "It's okay. I'm barely even used to being called Caterina let alone something as cute as a kitten. It fits me I guess but if you let Tony hear you calling me that and he picks it up you and I will be going a few rounds on the sparring mats my friend." The two soldiers eyed each other playfully. Clint held up his hands in mock surrender. "Whatever you say, alley cat." Shadow Cat groaned and threw a salt shaker at this head before stomping over to the elevator. She was slightly disappointed to see him catch the shaker before it could hit him. He set it back on the counter with a laugh and followed her.

Down in the firing range Hawkeye set up a series of wooden targets to warm up with. Caterina sat on a bench and watched him move gracefully around the room, jogging back and forth to the far end of the range. The room was the entire length of the tower which didn't make for very difficult shots but it was enough for handgun practice and for Clint to keep up some of his bow skills. One wall was filled with locked weapon compartments. Each numbered panel had a key pad with a four digit screen.

Hawkeye entered a combination and the panel slid open to reveal an old fashioned recurve bow. He shot a smirk at Cat as he slid the bow between his legs for leverage to aid in stringing it. She raised her eyebrow but said nothing, just watched as he stepped out of the bow and tested the draw. He used first one arm and then the other to draw back the string, using the slow movement to stretch his muscles. "This old bow has twice my normal draw strength. It is a good way to build up my stamina." He talked softly, almost to himself as he continued his normal routine.

Shadow Cat sat silently and let him talk as he shot. He explained things like how to account for wind, distance and different arrow weights. He told her about the pros and cons of the different bow and shaft materials. Over and over he drew arrows from a stand on the floor and loosed them into the wooden targets he had arranged earlier. She watched the shift of his muscles under his tight t-shirt with each movement, hypnotized. He seemed so at ease with the motion, so perfectly in the moment.

When the stand of arrows was empty and a few beads of sweat were running down his neck Hawkeye stopped. He turned back to see Cat sitting on the bench with her knees pulled up to her chest, her chin resting on her arms. Her unique eyes were watching him intently, shifting as he moved to set his bow on a nearby table. "Stark set up some automatic moving targets but before I get those working do you want to learn? There are handguns here as well if you prefer." Cat shook her head and smiled. "Maybe another time, I don't want to interrupt your flow." He returned her smile and jogged down the range to set aside the wooden targets he no longer needed and gather the arrows. When he had returned to the shooting stands he flipped a switch.

Caterina jumped at the sound of motors and gears suddenly turning. Her feet had no sooner touched the floor than she saw the noise was coming from new targets that had slide out of the wall on tracks. They moved back and forth at varying speeds. Thankfully Hawkeye had not noticed her sudden movement so she arranged herself back on the bench like before. He no longer carried on his string of mindless conversation as he shot and they sat in quiet companionship. The stand of arrows was empty again before Clint looked back at her. "Are you going to do something or just watch _me_ workout all day?"

Cat scrunched up her face and stuck her tongue out at Clint. He laughed a big belly laugh. "Where did you learn that bit of behaviour? Not on an army base I bet!" She gave him a shy smile, "I watched some Disney movies when I first arrived at SHIELD and I think some of them stuck with me." She waited for him to clean up his arrows and put his bow away before excusing herself and saying she was going down a floor for her workout. Hawkeye tilted his head, "Is that an invitation for my company?" She laughed and agreed.

It was his turn to sit on a bench and watch as she went about her usual routine. She stretched her body, touching her toes, bending backwards until her hands rested on the floor. She sprang into a handstand and flipped back to her feet. She threw a smirk at Hawkeye before beginning a complex set of tumbles and flips to end up at the opposite side of the mat. He clapped his hands politely at the display and she gave a mock bow. She ran back to stand beside him at her full speed which made him jump when she suddenly appeared there. It was her turn to giggle. "I thought I told you yesterday that the weird eyes came with some advantages." She returned to the mat and began a kata which flowed into a ballet perfomance. Her firm, restrained movements soon had her muscles aching in a delicious way.

When the routine ended she stood quietly for a moment, collecting her thoughts. She moved to sit beside Clint and turned to find him watching her. Cat gave him a small smile but didn't say anything for a moment. "How long have you been with SHIELD? I mean, if you can tell me." He glanced at her then turned to stare straight ahead. "It has been around 10 years now. I was pretty young when I picked up my ability to shoot and they got interested." He didn't elaborate and she didn't push.

"Who's Robin Hood? You said Tony calls you that." Clint looked at her with a bit of surprise. "I forget sometimes that you had a bit of an _unorthodox_ upbringing." He proceeded to explain to her about the legend of Robin Hood.

They were sitting in companionable silence when Steve came later to use the punching bag. He looked surprised to see them but decided to just nod hello and go about wrapping his wrists to work out. Cat and Barton excused themselves and left him in the gym alone. Clint looked at his wrist watch. "It's going to be lunch soon." His eyes lifted to meet hers. "I am going to take a shower and get cleaned up. We can meet in the kitchen after if you want some company to eat." She thought that was a wonderful idea and said so.

xXx

Shadow Cat appeared in the kitchen a few minutes before him. She was freshly showered and ready to go shopping in her least military looking clothes. The black pants didn't have cargo pockets and the grey T-shirt fit a little better than most. Her hair she left down to hide her ears as much as possible. She tried to put off thinking about going out among all those _normal_ people and focused on lunch.

Opening the fridge she looked around for options she knew how to make. Her sensitive ears picked up someone walking up to the other side of the open fridge door so she didn't jump when Clint's voice came from right beside her. "Find anything good?" Cat leaned back so she could see him and shrugged. She grabbed a pre-made salad and a package of dressing, heading to sit at the kitchen island.

She mixed up her meal as she watched Hawkeye make himself a sandwich with more ingredients than most meals she could think of cooking. When he sat on the stool beside her she looked at his plate and raised a sceptical eyebrow as if to ask if he was really going to eat that monstrosity. He looked down at his plate and back to her, a grin crept on to his face and he hefted the sandwich to take a big bite. Cat just rolled her eyes and finished her salad in silence.

_A/N: I had A LOT of trouble writing this chapter for some reason. Nothing wanted to flow right, so I apologize if it isn't as good as the others. Next chapter girl talk and shopping! What will Pepper and Natasha think of all the time Shadow Cat is spending with Hawkeye?_


	6. Chapter 6 - New Duds

A Chance At Life

_**Previously**_

_She mixed up her meal as she watched Hawkeye make himself a sandwich with more ingredients than most meals she could think of making. When he sat on the stool beside her she looked at his plate and raised a sceptical eyebrow as if to ask if he was really going to eat that monstrosity. He looked down at his plate and back to her, a grin crept on to his face and he hefted the sandwich to take a big bite. Cat just rolled her eyes and finished her salad in silence. _

**Chapter 6 – New Duds**

Natasha and Pepper stepped into the kitchen just as Barton and Cat finished eating. Pepper smiled when she saw Shadow Cat, "There you are! Are you almost ready to go?" Caterina closed her eyes for a moment, trying to find strength and reassure herself. The real world was a mythical, scary place to her. She had only been out of the SHIELD base for short missions, always completed at night and never without a SHIELD handler. Granted she would have Pepper and Natasha to help her but clothes shopping was very different from clandestine missions.

When Cat finally opened her eyes Clint was watching her with some concern. She gave him a half smile to put him at ease. "We are going clothes shopping," she explained. His eyes darted to the two women standing by the elevator. "Really, because you look like you are about to go on a suicide mission!" He said, his voice low enough the others wouldn't hear him "Don't let them drag you with them if you don't want to go."

Caterina was surprised for a moment at his reaction. He didn't want her to do anything she wasn't ready for. She turned on her stool so she was facing him and put her hand on his arm, giving him a reassuring smile at the same time. "I have to go out eventually; it might as well be today." His eyes studied her face for a moment before he looked away. Cat slid off the stool and headed over to the other women. Pepper gave her a warm smile but Natasha was watching Barton with one eyebrow raised. She looked at Shadow Cat for answers but none were forth coming.

The three of them set off to some high-end boutiques. The list of things that Pepper and Natasha rattled off in the car as necessary purchases was daunting. An evening gown, a couple really sexy cocktail dresses, jeans, yoga pants, t-shirts, a couple suits, tank tops and something sexy, yet casual for dates. Cat sat by herself in the backseat as Agent Romanov drove and chatted with Pepper beside her. She rolled her eyes at the mention of clothes for dates but she knew that there was no talking the two of them out of anything.

The first store they drove Cat to was for lingerie. It took the two other women more than five minutes to convince her to even go in the store. She complained about how anything other than her cotton panties and sports bra would be uncomfortable. They were just as stubborn as she was and assured her that the other clothes they wanted to buy would not look good without the proper under garments. Finally she relented but she still refused to get anything with lace.

The next store they took her to was for everyday clothes like jeans and T-shirts. Things were going much better than Shadow Cat expected, until an employee came to ask if they were finding everything. The moment Cat looked up at the woman her smile faltered and she took a step back. The sales lady quickly shifted her focus to Pepper who told her they were fine on their own. Natasha shifted to look at Cat who had a very hurt expression on her face for a fraction of a second before she pushed it aside and turned her attention to the clothes.

Normally Cat was pretty quiet but for the rest of their stay in that store she took it farther and barely uttered a single word. She let Natasha and Pepper pick out the clothes and decide what to buy. She really didn't care anymore. When she stepped out of the dressing room she saw Pepper and Natasha giving her worried looks and knew she would have to pretend to be having fun. Squaring her shoulders she put on a fake smile and helped the women take her new purchases to the car.

Store after store went the same way. Everyone who got close to Shadow Cat gave her disgusted or surprised looks. She caught people whispering about plastic surgery and how they would never do that to themselves. Caterina was thankful that they just thought her a spoiled rich girl who wanted to spend money to look different, not some freak who was part cat. She did her best to keep up a façade of not caring for her two companions and they in turn pretended like nothing was wrong.

It was getting late by the time they picked up all the different items they claimed she needed. The two older women convinced her that they just had to make one more stop and then the three of them would go out to dinner. Cat tried her very best to put her foot down when she saw they stopped at a hair salon. "No way! I'm not letting them near my hair! I let you dress me up all day like some kind of doll but there is no way having my hair cut is going to help me blend in."

Natasha and Pepper shared a lingering look. This was Natasha's area of expertise and she was going to work some magic to get this girl through that door. "Caterina, this last stop isn't about fitting in, it is about individuality. You spent all those years without even a real name, just a call sign. This is your chance to do something for yourself. You can dye your hair green if that is what you want. Make a statement! Decide what you really want! If that is to not get a hair cut then say so now, we will just go to an early dinner."

With a glare Cat stomped into the salon ahead of the other two. Sure she knew that Natasha was making all of that up just to play her but it did kind of work. Why couldn't she take a few inches off and layer the hair around her face? She just hoped that whoever cut her hair would not freak out over her ears, or cut them accidentally. Cat shouldn't have worried, Pepper made sure this was her personal stylist. He was always discrete and professional.

An hour later Caterina had to admit that she was feeling more _human_ than she ever had. Her brown hair was still loose but now it flowed in waves around her face. It accentuated her high cheek bones and strong jaw in the best possible way. Jack, the stylist, had been upset when she would not let him put in low-lights but he was at least happy with the cut.

The reservation that Pepper had made for the three of them was at a very exclusive restaurant. Little Black Box made its name for its private booths, great service and even better food. The three girls were seated at one of the best tables in the place. It was in its own little alcove at the back so they would have privacy and a view of everyone entering the room, much to Natasha's liking.

Over a simple dinner the girls began to chat. Pepper turned to Natasha with a mischievous smile, "So Tasha, how goes the quest to bring Steve into the 21st century world of dating?" Cat paused in her eating to stare at the two of them. Natasha and Steve? She never would have guessed. "I can't even get him to ask me out, and I just know he would blush as red as a tomato if _I_ asked _him_ out," Natasha replied with a snort. Shadow Cat sat and studied them as Pepper replied, "Hey, if I can make THE Tony Stark a one woman man then you can get Steve to ask you out."

For the next half an hour they came up with and discarded several ways to spur the Captain on. When options began to dry up Natasha turned suddenly to Caterina. "What about you and Clint? What is going on there? Any chance of him seeing that new underwear?" Despite her best efforts Cat felt herself blushing. "No, there is nothing going on there. He is just trying to help me adjust to everything. He makes me feel normal, not that the rest of you don't. He just has a way of…" She trailed off with a wave of her hand. Natasha nodded in understanding, "Yes, he just has a way of seeing the real you. I remember when he first turned me and brought me to SHIELD. Barton always knew what to say when I needed him to say it. Still, there might be something there if you wanted there to be." She actually winked at Cat which just made her blush harder. Pepper caught Natasha's eye and gave a slight warning in her glance to leave the girl alone on the subject.

The conversation turned to how Cat was settling in to Avengers Tower. She said that she loved the pool and told them about the LCD picture frame that she had JARVIS install. Without meaning to she also mentioned that she couldn't wait to have a bath for the first time. Both women are stunned for a moment. It was Natasha that spoke first, "You mean you have never had a bath before?" Cat shook her head. "Oh you are in for a treat! The Jacuzzi tubs that Tony had installed are the best that money can buy. Promise me you will treat yourself soon, yes?" Rolling her eyes Cat promised to try the bath as soon as she found the time.

After dinner Natasha made sure that dessert was ordered. She picked an amazing lava cake with caramel cream for Cat to try. Cat, for her part, was in ecstasy over the dessert. Pepper and Natasha enjoyed her reaction as much as they enjoyed their own sweets. They told her all about ice cream and different cakes that they would have to show her soon.

Girl's night was over. It was time to head back to the tower and relax for the rest of the evening. Cat was relieved at the idea of finally being away from staring eyes and maybe at the thought of spending time with Hawkeye. The car ride back to the tower was filled with funny stories about Tony's past escapades from Pepper.

_A/N: This chapter flowed a lot better so YaY! Hope to have the next chapter up soon! As always I love reviews, they let me know which parts you liked so I can write more for your tastes._


	7. Chapter 7 - We are all Freaks Here

A Chance At Life

_**Previously**_

_Girl night was over. It was time to head back to the tower and relax for the rest of the evening. Cat was relieved at the idea of finally being away from staring eyes. The car ride back to the tower was filled with funny stories about Tony's past escapades from Pepper. _

**Chapter 7 – We are all freaks here**

Natasha, Pepper and Cat were still laughing over stories of Tony when they stepped out of the elevator later that evening. Clint, Steve and Tony were sharing a beer in the TV lounge when the girls came in. All three of their eyes went wide at the sight of Cat dressed in civilian clothes. Her feet were still tucked into her worn combat boots but everything else was a world away from her old clothes. Her army issue cargo pants had been replaced by dark wash jeans, cinched at the waist by a white canvas belt. Cat's pale skin was on display in a rich green tank top that complimented her feline eyes. The new cut of her hair made it bounce and flow around her shoulders when she turned her head to look at each woman beside her in turn.

Hawkeye felt his mouth go dry. This was not the naïve girl he had started to think of as his little sister but someone new. He swallowed thickly and cleared his throat, making the other men realise they were also staring. They shared a look of surprise then turned their attention back to the lobby entrance way.

Their eyes followed the three women until Natasha handed her share of the bags to the others and headed toward the TV room. Cat and Pepper went down the hall to put the personal purchases away. Most of the things would be delivered tomorrow but they brought a few things for her to wear immediately.

The smile Natasha had shared before joining the three men faltered. Her eyes darted toward the now empty hallway leading to the bedrooms and she let out a tired sigh. "That girl is stronger than even I gave her credit for."

Clint's eyes narrowed, "What happened? She looked fine."

Tasha shook her head, trying to gather the right words before she could elaborate. "Everyone stared; everyone whispered. They assumed it was cosmetic surgery and contacts but they still looked at her like she was a freak. She did her best to hide how much it hurt from us but it was still there if you looked for it." She slumped down on the couch and pinched the bridge of her nose.

A moment later Pepper appeared and sat on Tony's lap, snuggling against his chest. "Cat wanted a minute to go through things and catch her breath." Her words didn't say it but her tight expression repeated what Natasha had just finished telling them. Tony hugged her. It was obvious to him that both the women were somewhere between angry and upset over how Shadow Cat had been treated that day.

Everyone in the room was very focused on Natasha and Pepper so no one had seen Clint's jaw tick and fists clench. She might not look like a sweet little girl anymore but he still felt protective of her. He jumped off the couch smoothly and ignored the startled looks of the other people in the room. Who cared what they think about this? He had to make sure Shadow Cat was alright!

Outside her door Clint took a deep breath to calm himself. He knocked softly and waited for her to tell him to come in. When he stepped into the room he saw Cat stretched out on the bed, one arm flung over her eyes. She shifted to peek under her arm and sat up when she saw it was him. "I was just…" She trailed off when she saw the look on his face. "What?"

He tried again to calm his anger, hoping his words would come out even. "Are you alright? I know you were worried about the trip and now you are sitting in here sulking." His last words were said with a half smirk. He avoided mentioning that Pepper and Natasha already told him what had happened so he didn't make her self conscious if she did not want to talk about it. The teasing tone in his voice would hopefully set the right mood and not make her feel like he pitied her.

Playful anger flashed through Cat's eyes. "I'm not sulking pretty boy. I just had a long day." He didn't react to the nickname, just looked at her with a serious expression on his face to let her know he wasn't buying what she was selling. She let out a long sigh and flopped back on the bed, unwilling to meet his gaze. "Everyone starred at me, just like I though they would. They talked behind my back but because of my hearing I could hear every. Single. Word." She emphasized the last part, some of her hurt turning into real anger. "Freak, weird, crazy, stupid, I heard them all used to describe me today. Hawkeye I don't want to be a freak. I just want to be normal for once in my life."

Clint closed the door behind himself and sat on the edge of her bed. His elbows rested on his knees as he looked down at the floor for a moment. When he began speaking he looked over his shoulder at the girl beside him, "Caterina, Shadow Cat, every single Avenger sometimes wishes we were normal, that we grew up normal. Their stories are not mine to tell but none of us, except maybe Thor, really had a happy home. The struggles we went through, the things we saw, they all made us great. Sure, you could say they made us freaks but that is exactly what has brought us all together. Without all that crap to break through how would we learn our strength?" He finished with a gentle smile on his face so that when Caterina did eventually look at him it would hopefully be reassuring.

She sat up into a position mirroring his. He could see she was carefully considering his words. Finally she gave a snort of laughter and showed him a funny grin. "Well you are right about one thing: all of us Avengers are pretty strange." Clint had to chuckle when she put it that way.

He stood up with a fake groan, "Come on I am going for a swim and you can't sulk in here for the rest of the evening." He held out his hand to help her stand up which she eyed for a moment before sliding her own hand into his. She noted that it was calloused and warm against her skin before pulling her hand free. She told Hawkeye she would meet him down there again. She grabbed a towel and the bathing suit she had hung up to dry in the bathroom before heading down to the pool changing room again.

Just like the night before the two of them swam several hard laps before slowing down. Clint sat on the steps in the shallow end while Cat floated nearby. She asked questions about things she had seen that day and he did his best to answer her. "Do people really dye their hair green? Why would someone want to do that?" Clint frowned as he thought about it. "I guess they just want to feel like they are unique. They want some way to stand out, in a city of 8 million people that must feel like the most important thing in the world. Hmm, or maybe they do it to fit in with a certain group, to feel like they are part of something. You really should ask Natasha things about why people act a certain way, she understands people much better than I ever will."

The two of them shared a smile and Cat launched into another question. "Why did a woman have a little dog in her purse?" Clint couldn't answer that one and they laughed together over how weird it was. He wanted very much to ask her more about Upsilon and what it was like there but he couldn't bring himself to, not after the day she had. Instead he told her about the time they took Thor to the pet store so he could pet a kitten and when Steve got mistaken for a mugger because he tried to help an old lady across the street.

Finally the two of them ached from laughing and were all water logged. It was time to dry off and head to bed. Clint stood up on his step but didn't step out of the water until Cat had reached the stairs. What she asked next almost made him fall, "Why hasn't Captain Rogers asked Natasha out yet." He flailed for a moment before his hand caught the railing and he regained his balance. "What?!" He almost yelled.

Cat quickly got out of the water and wrapped a towel around her body. She didn't know why Barton was so upset over her question. He stood at the top of the stairs watching her for a moment before moving to grab his own towel. "Why do you think Steve should ask Natasha out?" That was when she realised it wasn't common knowledge that Natasha wanted to date Steve. Her hand came up to cover her face and she mentally went through some of the choice swear words she had learned in the last year. "Look, forget I said anything or Natasha will _kill_ me and we both know with her its no idle threat." Clint didn't need her to explain, after his initial shock he put it together. He nodded his agreement and put a smile back on his face.

The elevator was silent as they went up together, Cat not bothering to change this time. They were both wrapped in towels, clutching their other clothes. It was time for her to get some sleep so she barely paused to say goodnight to the Avengers she saw on the way to her room.

Once she was safely locked inside her own space she cursed at herself some more. JARVIS ran a hot shower for her before she pulled on an oversize T-shirt and slid into bed. Cat sat up after a moment of snuggling with the tiger. She swore she could smell Clint's mild cologne. Could it still be there from before swimming or was she imagining things. She shook her head and tried to ignore the very faint hint of him she smelled in the air. Sleep claimed her not long after and her dreams were the most pleasant ones she had ever experienced.

_A/N: Well I hope you enjoyed it I know there was a lot of talking and not a lot of action. It all came tumbling out in one very productive sitting. For some reason I really love all the relationship development in this chapter. I am planning on a short chapter for the next one but it does have the first taste of Clint and Shadow Cat sexual tension. _


	8. Chapter 8 - Innocence

A Chance At Life

_A/N: Okay the next couple chapters I am totally throwing out my original plot summary. Less talk and more action! Wish me luck on winging it!_

_**Previously**_

_Once she is safely locked inside her own space she cursed at herself some more. JARVIS ran a hot shower for her before she pulled on an oversize T-shirt and slid in to bed. Cat sat up after a moment of snuggling with the tiger. She swore she could smell Clint's mild cologne. Could it still be there from before swimming or was she imagining things. She shook her head and tried to ignore the very faint hint of him in the air. Sleep claimed her not long after and her dreams were the most pleasant ones she had ever experienced. _

**Chapter 8 – Innocence**

Wednesday – Day 3

Shadow Cat woke up a lot less confused. She snuggled into the pillow for a moment but couldn't fall back asleep. JARVIS greeted her the same way as the day before, "Good morning Miss Marcos. The time is 6:50am and the weather today is sunny with a high of 74 degrees Fahrenheit, 23 degrees Celsius. Would you like any news reports today?" She smiled at the AI. "No JARVIS. Just let in the sunlight again please."

She got out of bed and sat on the window seat, hugging her knees to her chest as she watched the little dots of people down on the street. The sun warmed her back and made her yawn. She stretched, arching her back and groaned contentedly.

Getting up she glanced down at her pajamas. The black muscle shirt and matching shorts should be fine for grabbing a bit of breakfast. She didn't feel like changing before a cup of coffee today. Her hair was reasonably still tucked into the braid she usually slept in so she didn't fuss with it. She slid on a pair of slippers that had appeared in her room yesterday, she supposed JARVIS was responsible for little things like the silk robe and slippers she now had.

In the kitchen all the other Avengers were sitting at the table still. Tony was the first to notice her entrance and his surprised look made the others take notice one by one. Steve almost spit his coffee out at the sight of all that skin. He quickly looked away, turning red. No one else did more than give her a once over except Barton. His eyes were glued to her body as she bounced over to the coffee pot.

He had seen her in her bathing suit which covered less but for some reason seeing her just after she rolled out of bed felt more intimate. The swell of her breasts and hips were on display to his gaze. He shifted in his seat, wrenching his eyes back to his coffee mug. Hawkeye's body was at odds with his brain. This woman needed his friendship not some tryst between the sheets.

Caterina helped herself to a danish along with her coffee and joined everyone at the table. Tony and Bruce excused themselves to get to work in the lab at the same time that Steve and Thor also finished breakfast. Pepper and Natasha made small talk with Cat while she ate. When Pepper headed off to work Natasha asked Cat is she wanted to spar again which she eagerly agreed to.

She finished eating and stood up to get changed but Clint stopped her with a hand on her arm. She turned to him with a smile. He had been nursing his coffee in silence while the girls chatted. She opened her mouth to ask what he needed but was stopped when he stood up and stroked his thumb over her lip then settled his hands on her shoulders. Cat subconsciously licked the area he had stroked and felt the almost healed mark from her last sparring session with Natasha.

Clint looked right into her eyes for a moment, "Be careful this time?" Cat studied his face. Her eyes roved over his high cheekbones and strong jaw before locking on his clear, blue eyes. She drew in a deep breath and caught his subtle spicy cologne. Her eyes fluttered close. After a moment his hands slipped from her shoulders and she opened her eyes to see Clint looking over at where Natasha was starring at the two of them. He glanced back at Cat and gave her an apologetic smile before heading into the TV room to sprawl on the couch. Cat avoided looking at Natasha while she headed off to her room.

xXx

The two women met in the sparring room some minutes later. Cat was back in her old fatigues for the workout and it felt good. They stretched in silence then squared off against each other. Cat danced forward and Natasha shifted in response making her back off. Feint and counter feint as they circled around the mat and then Natasha spoke, "What was that with Barton earlier?"

Caterina did not react for a minute and then shook her head. To avoid answering she kicked out at Natasha but the red head dropped and rolled away. She came up laughing, "No need to get upset about it. I'm just curious about you two." Again Cat shook her head. "Nothing is going on Natasha. He is just looking out for me. What about you and Captain Rogers? Get a date yet?"

It was the Black Widow's turn to strike out. She tried a vicious combination but Cat ducked and blocked each move. She knocked the other woman back with a hit to the stomach but didn't get a chance to press her advantage before Natasha was on guard again. That was one tough human in Cat's opinion.

Shadow Cat dropped her hands and stopped moving. Natasha lowered her guard but didn't move any closer. Cat finally looked up. "I don't even know anything about dating Natasha. Everything I know comes from a few bad movies I have seen in the last year and the gossip of other agents. I don't… I just…" She growled in frustration and slumped down on to sit on the floor. "Never mind! I can't even think right now."

Natasha sat down beside Shadow Cat thoughtfully. "So, you _are_ interested in him?" She asked tentatively. She watched those cat eyes slide shut and waited until they met hers again. "He makes my mouth dry and my body feel all warm. I don't want to do anything to jeopardise our friendship though so don't say anything!" Natasha held up her hands in surrender. "I won't say anything but Barton does feel _something_ for you already as far as I can tell. Just give him a chance if it comes down to that. He is a really great guy."

Caterina went stone still. Natasha wasn't even sure if she was still breathing, finally she let out her breath in a burst of air. "Natasha I'm a virgin. I've never even been kissed, hell I've never even, you know, gotten off." Natasha had to draw on her acting skills not to laugh. It wasn't that this was funny; it was just that she was _so_ concerned about it.

"Listen, I promise that it isn't the end of the world. When you find the right person it just happens. No one is going to think less of you, especially if they know anything about how you were raised. In the mean time you can learn a few things on your own." She gave a wink. After a moment she didn't explain further and Cat was scared to ask what she had in mind. "Do you want to keep sparring or are we done?"

The two women got back to their feet and had a good session. At least this time no one needed to see the doctor, though Natasha was pretty sure she was going to have one heck of a bruise on her thigh. She headed out of the room and left Cat to do her usual gymnastics and kata routine.

An hour later Cat went upstairs to help herself to lunch. Pepper was sitting at the dining room table with a stack of papers working and waiting for Tony to join her for lunch. Cat said hello on her way past to see if Hawkeye was in the TV room. When he was no where to be found she started making herself a sandwich. Pepper noticed she kept glancing at the elevator guessed what she was looking for, "Clint was called away on an emergency mission. He will probably be back in a few days." Shadow Cat nodded and smiled at her in thanks. She looked a little sheepish at being so obvious but damn it she had already gotten used to their cooking lessons and his company.

She ate her lunch with Pepper, Tony and Bruce instead. It wasn't the same but it was much better than being at SHIELD with the agents who were scared of her. Tony did his best to make her laugh and Pepper did her best to rein him in. Bruce just gave her apologetic smiles and rolled his eyes along side her at the antics across the table.

The afternoon stretched out before her and Cat was free to do as she pleased. It was going to be a good day.

_A/N: Well that chapter sucked to write. This was supposed to be an easy one but the talk between Natasha and Shadow Cat just always sounded awkward. Its still not any better but I give up. _

_See you next chapter. What will Cat do while Clint is away? What could possibly go wrong?_


	9. Chapter 9 - Lab Rats and Spandex

A Chance At Life

_A/N: I now have a new plot summary to work from! Things should flow well again! 36 Followers! I am so happy you all like my story enough to want to read more. Thank you._

_The next two chapters might be a little short but I promise Chapters 11 and 12 make up for it!_

_**Previously**_

_Clint was called away on a mission and Shadow Cat is on her own with the rest of the Avengers. What could possibly happen?_

**Chapter 9 – Lab rats and Spandex**

Wednesday – Day 3

Caterina found herself with truly free time for the first time she could remember. Occasionally she would be free after dinner while at SHIELD but she was expected to stay in her room. Now, she had the run of the penthouse floors here and she could come up with absolutely nothing to do. She paced in front of the floor to ceiling windows by the sitting room. The day was sunny and the city looked beautiful below her.

The elevator doors opened behind her and she turned to see who it was. Dr Banner and Tony stepped off the elevator deep in discussion which cut off abruptly when they saw her. The two of them shared a look. "What?" Cat asked sharply with a raised eyebrow.

Bruce had the good manners to look guilty but not Tony. He turned on his 'Mr. Charming' smile and walked toward her. She couldn't say that she was surprised he was not flustered. This man was quick on his feet and with his wit no matter the situation.

"Just the woman we were hoping to see." He said, holding out his arms in a flamboyant manner and taking a seat on the sofa across from where she had been pacing. Cat rolled her eyes. She spared a glance at Dr. Banner who had taken a few steps closer but still hung back. He did look a little eager though.

"What do you want Tony?" She put her hands on her hips and gave him her best glare. This man lived to toy with people. If the stories could be believed he even tried to unleash the Hulk on several occasions for the fun of it. Cat was not going to play his games without a good reason. With a little smile she thought about sicking Pepper on him if he annoyed her.

Tony gave her a once over. "Well Bruce and I were just talking about how unique you are. We were hoping to strip you bare and examine all the parts, genetically speaking of course." Car crossed her arms and tapped her foot, "Oh genetically of course. Well it just so happens that I have the afternoon free so we might as well get this science experiment over with."

xXx

The two men actually looked like kids in a candy store when they got her in the lab downstairs. Cat was used to scientists prodding her and demanding samples. She just rolled her eyes and tolerated the way they talked about her as if she wasn't there. At least with Tony there the constant stream of innuendos kept her entertained, even if she didn't so much as look at him in return.

They had taken all the samples they wanted from her and now she just sat on the medical table watching them argue over which tests to run first. After a few minutes they realised that she was still there and Bruce tried to shoo her out of the lab. Tony held up a hand to stop her, "Wait. I have the preliminary designs for your battle gear here if you want to approve them."

Cat gave him a stern look, "As long as it doesn't look like a cat woman suit. Barton showed me pictures and that much latex would look tacky on anyone." Tony pretended to pout for a minute before he assured her it didn't look anything like that. He pulled up the schematics on his 3D light display, spinning it around slowly for her to see.

The whole outfit was simple and very much resembled Agent Romanov's in cut. The black material of the jacket and pants was interrupted by stripes on the side of the pants and down the arms in the same yellow-green as Shadow Cat's eyes. The back of the jacket also had a stylized representation of a cat's eye across the back.

Cat was impressed with his restraint. He stood off to one side waiting for her thoughts with a serious expression. "Pepper shot down your first idea, eh?" Tony's face split into a wide grin. "The first three ideas actually. She only let me keep this boring one. Pfft." Cat smiled back at him. She knew deep down he was a big softy but he did like to hide it well.

She said thank you to Tony for his work on the design. "It should be ready in a week or two. The kevlar reinforced material is a little hard to work with since it has to be flexible and cut proof. Oh, and let JARVIS know what weapons you want to requisition." Cat gave him an absent nod and headed back to the living area.

She looked at her watch and saw that being a lab rat for the two mad scientists had killed just over an hour. Everyone else was still absent from the loft so she was back at square one with nothing to do. She flopped down on one of the sitting room chairs with a huff.

The elevator doors began to open again and Cat turned to see who it was.

_A/N: Like I said sorry for this being a short chapter. There are some long action chapters coming up real soon!_


	10. Chapter 10 - A Walk in the Park

A Chance At Life

_A/N: Two chapters in one day! I hope that makes up for how short they are! The next one will be longer I promise._

_**Previously**_

_She looked at her watch and saw that being a lab rat for the two mad scientists had killed just over an hour. Everyone else was still absent from the loft so she was back at square one with nothing to do. She flopped down on one of the sitting room chairs with a huff. _

_The elevator doors began to open again and Cat turned to see who it was. _

**Chapter 10 – A Walk in the Park**

Steve and Thor spotted Caterina as they stepped off the elevator. Thor invited her to eat second lunch with him but she hadn't really gotten to know him yet and his boisterous attitude made her uncomfortable. She politely declined his offer and turned to Steve with a hopeful expression. He slung his towel over his shoulder and nervously switched his gym bag to the other hand. "Miss Marcos-"

Cat held up a hand to stop him right there. "Please Captain call me Cat." Steve returned her easy smile. "Alright Cat, then call me Steve. As I was saying, would you like to get out of the tower this afternoon? I was planning on going for a walk in central park and company is always welcome." For a moment Caterina was torn. She would love to get out of the tower for a while even if it meant people would stare at her but she didn't want Natasha to get mad at her. If Tasha wanted a date with Steve would she be mad at Caterina spending time with him? This wasn't a romantic type date so she decided it would be alright.

She smiled at him and bounced a little in excitement but then her expression darkened. "Am I even allowed to leave tower? I mean they never gave me one of those pass cards to get back in." A look of comprehension dawned on Steve before he smiled again. "Of course you are allowed to go out by yourself. Tony probably just forgot to give you a card. Give me half an hour to clean up and I will take you out. Okay?"

Cat looked down at herself and noticed she was still wearing her clothes from the workout earlier. "Make that 45 minutes Captain and we have a date."

xXx

At the appointed time Steve was waiting for her in the kitchen. She came down the stairs nervously. She was dressed in a flowing floral print skirt, a cute little cardigan, and strappy sandals which was not her usual attire. She hoped it was appropriate, having chosen it based on an off hand comment Natasha had made when she tried it on. She and Pepper had joked that it was something Steve would love. Apparently he did because he beamed at her, "You look lovely! Ready to go? Oh before I forget I got you a card from Stark."

Cat blushed at his compliment and nodded yes to his question. She took in his khaki pants and the polo shirt that clung to him like a second skin. "You look… dashing as well. Did I use that word right?" Steve had to chuckle. "Yes ma'am you did."

Still smiling he handed her the card and then offered her his arm. Caterina just stared at him, confused. He smiled indulgingly and took her hand to place it in the crook of his arm to lead her to the elevator. She blushed and smiled in understanding.

When they reached the lobby Steve turned to speak with her, "Central Park is only a few blocks from here, is it alright if we walk?" Cat studied him for a moment and then agreed. Just walking down the street it was unlikely that people would stare at her so much, especially with her hair down and sunglasses on so she agreed.

The two of them strolled down the sidewalk, in no rush to be anywhere. Sometimes they stopped to look in shop windows but Shadow Cat was feeling a little self conscious still. She didn't know what to talk about. Steve noticed her getting flustered and started a monologue. He waved in the direction of the Brooklyn Bridge and began telling her of his childhood in New York. Things had changed a great deal from what he remembered and he tried to tell her about the simpler times.

The sound of his voice relaxed her. She listened intently to him describe how Harlem and Brooklyn used to be. He told her about how women would dress and act in his day. Women in this age confused him. He admitted that he still didn't have the hang of what this feminist movement had done. He quickly held up the hand she wasn't holding on to, "Don't get me wrong, I like strong independent women like Natasha, I mean Agent Romanov, but I don't know how to talk to them."

Caterina didn't say anything. She was not the right person to give him dating advice so she just listened. She nodded and gave him a sympathetic smile. It must have been enough because Steve gave her a grateful look. He finished chatting as they reached a bench in the park. They sat together and watched the ducks swim in a pond.

They sat in silence for a bit until Steve asked Cat how she was settling in. She smiled, "It is really great but also really strange. I am used to having my whole life planned out for me and now it's like I have been thrown out on my own! Sometimes I don't know what to do or think. I am just glad I have you guys to help me muddle through." She smiled at the Captain and he smiled back.

"When I woke up after crashing into the ice 40 years had passed in the blink of an eye for me. Suddenly the world I knew was gone and I no longer felt like I had a purpose. Since then I have learned a lot about this new time and it isn't so bad. I am still not used to women wearing what looks like under clothes out of the house but I'm learning to deal with everything else." Caterina gave a little chuckle and had to agree. "Yes, you should see some of the things Pepper and Natasha wanted made me try on! At least they didn't make me buy any of them!" Steve nodded in sympathy. "They tried to make me buy silk boxers!" The two of them laughed together over what was considered fashion.

"It gets better. I promise," He says with a serious expression. Just then they heard the bells of an ice cream truck. Steve pulled her over to try some for the first time.

_A/N: An unexpected encounter in the park has explosive results! It's going to be a great chapter!_


	11. Chapter 11 - Unexpected Encounter

A Chance At Life

_**Previously**_

"_It gets better. I promise," He says with a serious expression. Just then they hear the bells of an ice cream truck. Steve drags her over to try some for the first time._

**Chapter 11 – Unexpected Encounter**

"What kind of ice cream would you like?" Steve looked at Caterina with a smile. She studied all the names on the board but couldn't pick one she wanted. Steve chuckled and ordered two of his favourite, butterscotch ripple. He handed her one of the cones and licked his own. She watched him for a moment, looking back and forth between him and the cone. Giving it an experimental lick she was surprised by how good it was. Her look of surprise and enjoyment made him give a throaty chuckle.

Caterina opened her mouth to tell Steve thanks but suddenly there was an explosion between them. They were thrown apart by the force of it. Her ears rang from the blast but she felt mostly unharmed as she climbed to her feet. Twenty feet away Steve was already in a tactical crouch, using a planter for cover. Her movement caught his eye and he sprinted to where she was covered by a stone bench. He watched something over her shoulder as he ran.

Turning Shadow Cat saw five vaguely human looking robots advancing toward them. They were rather boxy in construction but had two arms, two legs and what could be called a head. Their steps were slow but they appeared to be coordinating their efforts by spreading out to box the two of them in. When one of them turned a thick rope of cables could be seen in place of a human's spine Steve pointed it out to Cat as a possible weak point.

As they watched one of them raised its arm and launched a small rocket at them. Steve pulled Cat back behind the bench just before it shook with the impact and the explosion that followed. They shared a look, not as Caterina and Steve but as Captain America and Shadow Cat. A nod was exchanged to say that this needed to be stopped.

Quickly the two of them vaulted over the bench and ran for the robots. The captain grabbed a trash can lid to use as a makeshift shield which he used to backhand one of the machines. Before he could continue his attack on the fallen enemy another struck out at him causing him to jump back. He was distracted for a moment by checking on Shadow Cat. She had pulled the umbrella from a nearby café table and snapped the top off. The metal pole helped her vault over a robot and then she rammed it through the connection conduit on its back. A high pitch whine could be heard and the robot immediately fell to the ground unmoving.

The Captain was wrenched away from watching Shadow Cat by an uppercut. He flew through the air and came up to his feet with a roll. He rushed his opponent in a tackle. Just as his arms encircled the thing he lifted it up to slam it down on the concrete plaza. He grabbed its head and twisted with all its strength until it came free with a pop. Limbs jerked for a moment before it too whined and powered down. Two foes down and three left to fight.

Shadow Cat had cornered two of the remaining three by a nearby monument using her pole. They seemed reluctant to use a grenade against her when she was so close to them. Steve looked around for the third robot and saw it too late. It cut thrusters and dropped from the sky to land behind Cat. The heat or sound of its rocket boosters must have warned her though because she turned to face the robot just as it swung at her head.

She crumpled to the ground at the impact. Steve had already begun a mad dash to her side when he saw the robot but he redoubled his efforts as it raised its arm to shoot at her still form. He needed to buy a few seconds so he threw the garbage can lid at the back of the robot's head. Thankfully it turned its sensor around to find the new target instead of finishing Cat off.

The Captain breathed a small sigh of relief as it turned the rest of its body to face him. The two that Cat had corned before were advancing toward her body but he couldn't worry about them right now, one obstacle at a time. He used his momentum to propel himself feet first into the robot's midsection, knocking them both to the ground. He attempted to twist its head off but this time the robot knocked him off with a swipe of its arm.

Steve skidded across the ground for a few feet but was quickly back on his feet. The robot was not as quick and it still thrashed on the ground trying to get up. He grabbed the pole that had dropped from Cat's grasp and slammed it down through its head. It did not power down but it was pinned to the ground. 'Good enough for now," though Steve as he turned on the last two.

In a move he learned from Natasha last month he used a nearby bench as a stepping stone to throw himself in a flip over a robot, grabbing its head as he passed. With a metallic twang it came free from the rest of its body. The telltale whine followed by silence told Steve it was offline.

He kicked the legs out from under the remaining robot and twisted its head off as well. Breathing heavily he stomped towards where Cat was still on the ground. There was a pool of blood under her head which made him begin to panic but the rise and fall of her chest was reassuring. The last remaining robot with the pole through its head began smashing its limbs into the ground more insistently, trying to get up. He ignored it for the time being.

By the time he reached Shadow Cat he could hear the distinctive sound of the Iron Man suit overhead. Both Tony and Thor dropped from the sky between where Steve was cradling a groaning Caterina and where the robot was trying to thrash its self free. Tony's faceplate opened and he caught Steve's eye. A nod from Steve said that she would be alright. Reassured Tony slide his faceplate closed and stomped over to the one mostly intact machine.

He had JARVIS run a program to analyse and take over control of the bot when it suddenly stopped moving. It was receiving an outside signal which Tony immediately began to trace. An eerie, heavily accented voice called out for its speakers, "Ah, the great Tony Stark. Your little friends may have passed my first test but not without a casualty, yes? Do not think this your victory. My creations sent back more than enough information on the newest Avenger for my next plan."

Without warning the robot exploded. Tony had time to brace himself, the shrapnel bouncing harmlessly off his armoured suit. The others were thankfully far enough away to avoid any injury from the blast. The shockwave ruffled them and they were dinged with small bits of debris but nothing to worry about.

The other Avengers arrived in a tactical truck. Steve carried the still groggy Shadow Cat to Natasha who began to dab at the bleeding wound on her right temple. He and Thor then began to gather up all the mechanical parts strewn around under the direction of Tony and Bruce. The two scientists were already examining one of the detached heads and discussing the attack.

xXx

Back at the tower everyone was gathering in a boardroom for a briefing on the man behind the attack. Captain Rogers and Natasha both tried to get Shadow Cat to stay in the infirmary but she insisted she was fine. Checking herself out she joined everyone else and tried not to notice them looking at the darkening bruise peeking out around the bandage.

The signal Tony recorded led back to the base of Victor Von Doom, aka Dr. Doom. He was an evil mastermind that SHIELD had been keeping an eye on for years. He had risen to power in Latveria under mysterious circumstances but had not made a move for more power since.

Agent Hill briefed them on Dr. Doom's history and what little they knew about his robotic army. It was rumoured he was experimenting with cybernetic technology but they could not get an Agent into his base to find out more. "Director Fury has ordered that you all make no move to attack him until we can get more intelligence. He stresses that we cannot afford to lose any of you." With that said Agent Hill dismissed them for the night.

Natasha tried to coax Cat into joining them for dinner but in truth she felt nauseous and sleepy. Begging off and apologizing to Pepper, whom they met in the kitchen she went to bed. Dr. Banner called after her, "Remember JARVIS had been programmed to wake you up every hour tonight because of your head injury." She waved the hand not holding her throbbing head in acknowledgement.

She stepped into her room and breathed a sigh of relief at the low level of lighting. It hurt her head a lot less than the bright white lights in the briefing room. After a moment Caterina opened her eyes to see a gift box on her bed. She moved to open it with a frown, wondering who it was from.

The note attached to the gift read 'At least try it – N'. That explains where Natasha had disappeared to earlier in the afternoon. Cat flipped the lid open but quickly shut it, blushing. She took a calming breath and opened the box again. Inside was a bottle of bubble bath, a bottle of sexual lubricant, condoms and a vibrator. She set the bubble bath on the night stand before looking down at the other items.

She opened the vibrator package and avoided touching the purple sparkling thing while digging out the instructions. Thoughtfully she read the booklet before putting it back in the box and slipping it under the bed. She felt like a coward but she was not ready to face that tonight.

Glancing around her eyes fell on the bottle of bubble bath. One new thing at a time! Cat asked JARVIS to run her a bath as she headed into the attached bathroom. She read the directions on the bottle and poured the right amount of soap into the running water. Instantly the room smelled like flowers but there was a spicy undertone she couldn't place. She loved it!

While the Jacuzzi filled up she stripped off her clothes and looked into the mirror. Her body was a patch work of darkening bruises and her face wasn't much better. The cut from Natasha's knee to the face had just vanished but now she had the bandage on her temple. The minor scrape on her cheek was still puffy but the bruise there was already beginning to lighten as it healed. Her whole body ached and a bath was supposed to help with that, wasn't it?

The water shut off automatically when the tub was full and Caterina reached her hand in to test the water. It was pleasantly warm so she swung her legs over the side and began to slide in. Every little scrape on her body stung as the hot water touched them making her gasp and grit her teeth.

Finally she was submerged in the large tub up to her neck and the heat began to work on her tired body. With a relieved sigh her head settled back onto the perfectly placed bath pillow. She did her best to keep her mind blank and before long all the tension was gone from her body. Most of her aches and pains faded into slight twinges and even her pounding head felt much improved.

As she rested in the bath her thoughts began to wander. Cat couldn't help but wish Clint was there. She wanted to hug him and make sure he was okay. She wanted him to tell her that everything was going to be fine. Sighing she tried to think happier thoughts but still he stuck in her mind. The image of his muscles bunching as he drew his bow over and over flashed through her mind. Next her mind fixated on how he looked all wet in the pool, his rakish grin and wet hair sticking up all over. This time her sigh was a happy one.

Her thoughts continued that way, replaying all those nice moments with Hawkeye until the bath began to grow cold. She pulled on the lever beside the tub and the water started to empty. Drying off she wrapped a towel around herself before heading into the bedroom in search of something to sleep in.

Moments later she was curled up in bed trying to find a comfortable position to sleep in. Despite being sore and bruised she fell asleep quickly. It had been a long and exciting day. Maybe tomorrow would bring Hawkeye back to her side. With that hopeful thought Caterina Marcos drifted off to sleep.

_A/N: I have never written a fight scene before. I hope that what I saw in my mind's eye came out on the page. Review and let me know how to do it better. The next chapter is probably my favourite so far so make sure to come back!_

_Read. Review. Follow._


	12. Chapter 12 - Feels like Family

A Chance At Life

_**Previously**_

_Moments later she was curled up in bed trying to find a comfortable position to sleep in. Despite being sore and bruised she fell asleep quickly. It had been a long and exciting day. Maybe tomorrow would bring Hawkeye back to her side. With that hopeful thought Caterina Marcos drifted off to sleep._

**Chapter 12 – Feels like Family**

Thursday – Day 4

Being woken up every hour to make sure she was alright had taken its toll on Caterina. She slept late into the morning and when she finally did wake up she did not feel well. Her head pounded from the still healing concussion and her neck was incredibly stiff. Trying to sit up she groaned in pain and clutched her head. JARVIS asked if she would like him to fetch medical aid but she was unable to respond for a moment. After swallowing down the urge to be sick she told him it was unnecessary.

Moving very slowly she went through her morning routine and put on some loose fitting clothes. Her hair she left down as it caused another wave of pain and nausea when she tried to put it in a ponytail.

Continuing to move slowly Shadow Cat made her way down to the kitchen. Thor and Bruce were waiting for her to appear. When she came down the stairs Bruce started to fuss, asking how she felt and offering to get her some food. She held up a hand to shush him for a moment which he at least took without insult.

Once he had ushered her to a seat he spoke again more quietly. "How is your head feeling? Would you like a pain killer or some food?" Cat started to nod but gritted her teeth in pain. Thor, who had been unusually quiet since she joined them handed her an icepack for her temple. She smiled at him in thanks.

Bruce made sure she took a pain killer and served her some tea. In a few minutes she was feeling more human and stood up to make herself breakfast. Before she could even take a step Steve had appeared behind her and pushed her back into the chair. "Sit. I'll bring you something to eat."

Cat protested a little at that. "I hit my head I'm not dead. I _can_ make myself something to eat." The stern looks of the three men around the table were enough to make her surrender for the time being. She motioned at Steve to go ahead then.

A bagel was slid in front of her. She eyed it warily with one hand on her forehead and the other on her stomach. Steve pushed the plate a little closer when she didn't take a bite right away. Sighing she gave in and nibbled on the bagel slowly. After a few minutes her stomach began to settle and she could finish eating. That seemed to satisfy her self appointed guardians because they stopped looking so worried.

With breakfast over and training not an option until she was better Caterina found herself bored for the second day in a row. Steve once again offered her a solution. All morning the two of them sprawled on the couch, watching baseball. Thor wandered in and out during the game, sometimes sitting with them and other times making himself more food. Cat secretly suspected he didn't stay and watch the whole game because he was afraid his booming voice would make her sick again.

Once Steve realised that Caterina didn't know anything about baseball he kept up a running commentary. She laid on one of the couches with a pillow under her head, listening to him chatting. Fly balls, home runs and everything else was covered and she tried to get the game straight. Of course Tony walked in just as Steve was explaining the bases. "And third base is when…Oh you were actually talking about baseball, my mistake."

Cat sat up slowly to look behind the couch where he was standing. "What did you think we were talking about?" Tony refused to answer but Steve's blush gave her an idea what he meant. She made a mental note to ask Natasha about it later.

The game ended around lunch time and Caterina was feeling back to her old self thanks to her accelerated healing. Thor came in with lots of different types of pizza to eat while they watched the next game. Steve and Thor started to tell her a funny story about the time Tony's faceplate got caught in his beard when it tried to open. Of course Tony walked in just at the punch line and gave them both a pouty look which made them laugh all the harder.

Over pizza Tony and Bruce tried to give everyone some good news about Dr. Doom, unfortunately it was mostly greek to the others. Caterina managed to grasp that the robots were controlled remotely and the signal could probably be blocked. The mad scientists had an idea how it could be done but it would take a few days at least to crack the encryption. Thor, Steve, Natasha and Cat mostly just nodded and smiled along with them as they talked.

After cleaning up from lunch Tony had a surprise for Shadow Cat, her super hero outfit was finished. The attack yesterday had made him decide to rush production on it. Tony and Bruce made her try it on in the lab right away. The material was strong but it flexed well when she touched her toes and then did a high kick. Grinning at Tony she thanked him for all his work on it.

"Is this done? Can I wear it to work out this afternoon?" Tony started to say yes but was cut off by Dr. Banner. "Whoa! Whoa! There is no way you are healed enough to work out today. Take it easy." His exclamations were punctuated with arm waving.

"Fine _Doctor_ but I am not feeling sick at all. Look even the cut is starting to heal." He didn't buy any of it and made her promise to wait until tomorrow anyway. Cat scuffed her feet but eventually agreed. Tony gave her a smug look as she turned to leave the lab and she stuck her tongue out in return.

xXx

Upstairs Cat found Natasha making a coffee in the kitchen. "How's the head? Up for sparring this afternoon?" Cat gave her a heavy sigh in response. "Dr. Banner just made me promise I would take it easy for the rest of the day. What am I supposed to do all afternoon?"

Natasha gave her a sympathetic look. "I know the feeling. They can never keep me in the hospital long when I get hurt. How about I give you a gritty spy novel and see if that keeps you entertained?"

Cat had nothing better to do so she curled up in her window seat with the book. It was an interesting read with lots of plot turns, even in the part of the book she managed to read, but by dinner time she couldn't take the inactivity any more. Putting down the book she escaped to the kitchen and hoped there was someone there to break up the monotony.

xXx

It turned out everyone was there and dinner was a boisterous affair. Pepper had arranged Chinese food to be delivered much to everyone's delight. Caterina had never tried Chinese so she sampled some of every dish. Steve or Natasha would always ask her what she though of each item and Dr. Banner told her about some Indian curries she should try next time she wanted something exotic.

The table was filled with conversation and laughter. No one stopped smiling the entire meal, except maybe Thor when Tony took the last chicken ball right before he could grab it. Their bickering over it just made the other team members laugh some more. Caterina thought this more than made up for her too quiet afternoon. She looked around and wished that Hawkeye was there to share the mood. Maybe Natasha would be able to tell her when he would be back. No, she knew if Natasha could give her any information she would have already.

The rowdy group started to head into the games room after dinner but Pepper had to beg off for a conference call with Japan. The rest of them told her good night and stepped into a room Cat had not seen yet. There was a full bar, a pool table, a poker table and even some arcade games around the room.

Thor and Tony tried to entice everyone in the group to join a drinking game but no one was crazy enough to take those two on when it came to alcohol. Steve couldn't get drunk so it wasn't fair. Natasha might have been able to do it but it wouldn't be her idea of fun most nights. Instead she convinced Cat to play doubles pool with her against Bruce and Captain America.

Cat's lack of experience with the game was only a mild handicap considering Natasha was an expert. Bruce called her a pool shark after the boys lost their second game in a row but Natasha just called him a sore loser. The Captain took it all good naturedly. When he asked Natasha if she would give him some tips later Caterina gave Bruce a hard look and jerked her head subtly towards the bar. With a look between his two friends he immediately spotted what she meant and excused himself to sit with Tony and Thor at the poker table.

Seating herself on a bar stool Caterina took a look around the room. Pepper, who had finally finished her call, slipped onto Tony's lap and began whispering things into his ear that were actually making him blush. Steve and Natasha were talking by the pool table. She was bent over the edge, showing Steve the proper stance to break. Some snarky comment must have come out of her mouth because he began to chuckle. They switched positions so that he was leaning over the table and Natasha gave him some more tips.

All the laughter and love in the room made Cat think that if she grew up in a family this was what it would have been like. Now she had siblings to share her evenings with and free time to do as she pleased. Maybe fairy tales were right and it was possible to live happily ever after.

Thinking of prince charming made her thoughts jump to Clint. Again she felt the pang of missing him. All day she had looked up and expected to see him walking through the door. It had only been a day and she was already beginning to worry. She trusted him to be good at his job but just yesterday she had almost been blasted to pieces. Something like that could have happened to him.

Her thoughts were interrupted by another peal of laughter as Tony gave up his attempt to drink Thor under the table to chase a squealing Pepper towards their bedroom. Everyone else in the room burst into laughter at the sight.

If Clint were here this would be perfect for Shadow Cat. This felt right. It felt like _family._

_A/N: Will Clint be back tomorrow? As always I love reviews. A special shout out to **Cara** again for being my most loyal reviewed and for keeping me motivated._


	13. Chapter 13 - A Litte Research

A Chance At Life

_A/N: Lucky Chapter 13. It's a bit of a short one but the next chapter makes up for it. Trust me! *squeal*_

_**WARNING: ADULT THEMES and SEXUAL SITUATIONS**_

_**Previously**_

_Her thoughts were interrupted by another peal of laughter as Tony gave up his attempt to drink Thor under the table to chase a squealing Pepper towards their bedroom. Everyone else in the room burst into laughter at the sight._

_If Clint were here this would be perfect for Shadow Cat. This felt right. It felt like family_

**Chapter 13 – A Little Research**

Friday

Friday morning rolled around and Caterina jumped out of bed early. As quick as she could she got dressed and went to the common room. She was hoping that Clint made it back over night but was disappointed when Natasha gave her a small shake of her head. With a big sigh she plopped herself down at the breakfast bar and starred down at the coffee Tasha put in front of her.

"He's fine Shadow Cat. I would have heard something if he was in the infirmary or…" She trailed off but Cat knew what she meant, if he was dead. At least she had that much comfort. Still, she felt uneasy and only picked at her breakfast.

With a little food in her stomach and the go ahead from Dr. Banner Cat wanted to burn some nervous energy off. She ran and ran on the treadmill until even her enhanced stamina started to wane. Gasping for breath she finally turned the machine off and stretched her legs a while to cool down.

On her way back to the elevator she spotted Steve giving a punching back a beating in the other room. Shadow Cat tensed her muscles to test how sore they are then decided to see if he wanted to go a few rounds.

"Good morning Captain. How about you leave that poor bag alone and pick on someone your own size?" He turned to her with a grin. "Well my mother taught me not to hit a lady but Natasha made me realise there are sometimes exceptions. Alright I'm game but boxing rules, okay?"

A little later they both had their gloves on and were tapping them in the ring. They went a few rounds, each taking a few body shots but nothing serious. This was just a friendly match and they were both evenly matched in speed and strength. Most of the bout was spent working on footing and speed. They broke apart just before lunch so they could shower.

After a quick meal Steve offered to teach her more about baseball. Cat couldn't think of anything she would rather do to pass the time so hopped over the back of the couch to join him. They ate popcorn and cheered for a team she didn't know anything about but it was fun.

For a time it kept her mind occupied but soon she was back to checking her watch. In her mind she had pictured Clint coming back this afternoon and was worried that he hadn't. She tried to shake off her preoccupation and enjoy the game.

After the game she brought a sandwich to her room and tried to focus on her spy novel. Hawkeye kept flitting through her mind and she found herself reading the same page over and over. With a groan she gave up on the book and flopped down on the bed, grabbing her stuffed kitten to cuddle with.

Her mind wandered for a bit but it quickly returned to the image of Hawkeye dripping wet in the pool. She bit her lip for a moment but then decided to indulge herself a little. She brought back the feeling of her body against his as he hugged her. At the time it had been a sweet gesture but now the thought of it made tingles race through her body. He had been so warm and the slight trace of hair on his chest had scratched enticingly at her chest. The memory of his stubble against her temple had her imaging how it might feel against more sensitive skin, causing her to shiver in her bed.

She tossed her stuffed animal to the side and got up to get ready for bed. Once she was tucked back under the covers in panties and a tank top she let her mind wander back to the same thoughts as before. She felt herself blush, if anyone knew what she was thinking she would die of embarrassment.

In her mind she was hugging Clint again. Instead of his arms staying loosely around her waist one slid up to cup the back of her neck and the other gripped her hip to pull her closer. His forehead rested against hers and she could feel his breath on her lips. Instinctively her tongue snaked out to moisten them and he couldn't take it any more. He leaned in slowly, studying her eyes for some sign she didn't want this.

Wow, Cat snapped her eyes open and giggled. Closing her eyes she brought the scene back to mind and felt an ache between her legs. She squeezed her thighs together in an attempt to release the building tension but it didn't help at all. She tried to imagine what kissing Hawkeye would be like but she hadn't done anything like it. She brought one hand up to touch her own lips thoughtfully.

The heat in her stomach was getting worse and Caterina knew by now it wasn't just going to go away. She groaned and rolled over to find the box under the bed. She studied it for a moment trying to decide if she really wanted to do this. With a firm nod she decided a little research about sex was in order.

She turned the toy on and let it travel slowly down her body to nestle between her legs. At first she jerked at the strong sensation but quickly settled down. Biting her lip to stifle her moans Hawkeye again appeared in her mind's eye. This time he was drawing his bow. She stood behind him and let her hands play over his muscles, watching them twitch under her gentle caresses.

In her fantasy he loosed the arrow and turned to capture her in his arms, laughter on his lips. "You little tease!" He put down his bow and swept her up into his arms carrying her to the bed that suddenly appeared. He gently tossed her down and slid up the bed to join her, settling himself between her legs. Just as his hips ground into hers she reached her peak.

Shaking with the after shocks of her orgasm Cat turned off her toy and tossed it back into the box. After a moment to catch her breath she slid the box back under her bed and settled down to sleep. It was one of the most relaxing night's sleep in her life.

_A/N: I didn't want to make it too graphic so I hope it didn't make you uncomfortable. _

_I'm almost up to 60 followers! Thanks so much guys for the great reviews! Don't worry Clint will be back soon._


	14. Chapter 14 - Home Coming

A Chance At Life

_**WARNING: ADULT THEMES**_

_A/N: Woo I am on a roll! Thank you Miller330 and Cara for your upbeat reviews! It helps more than you know! Oh! My! God! I love this chapter!_

_**Previously**_

_Shaking with the after shocks of her orgasm Cat turned off her toy and tossed it back into the box. After a moment to catch her breath she slid the box back under her bed and settled down to sleep. It was one of the most relaxing night's sleep in her life._

**Chapter 14 – Home Coming**

Saturday

Caterina woke up feeling wonderful. She stretched in bed and as usual got up to bask in the sunshine for a few minutes. Determined not to worry about Hawkeye today she decided to ask Steve to take her out for breakfast, maybe Natasha would like to come as well!

With that plan in mind Cat showered and dressed in a pretty white tank top with floral accents and some dark jeans. She tried to make her hair fall in tousled waves like the hair dresser had but failed and pulled the top half back into a clip instead. She shook her head and let the hair slide against her back, enjoying the gentle caress of it.

She giggled to herself and pulled on some ballet flats before bouncing over to open the door. Standing directly in front of her was Barton. She blinked a few times to make sure she wasn't imaging him.

Her eyes travelled over him. His jeans and T shirt looked rumpled; a go bag was slung over one leather clad arm. The black leather jacket stretched across his shoulders in a way that Cat knew she would be remembering later. When her eyes made their way to his face she gasped. Not only did he look tired but there was a darkening bruise on his left cheek bone that looked faintly swollen.

Clint's hand had been resting on the door frame like he was contemplating knocking before she opened the door. He lowered it and stood straighter. He arranged his features into a cocky grin which made him look much less worn out. "I'm back, miss me?" Cat rolled her eyes but also returned his smile with a shy one of her own.

He stepped closer to her, forcing her to look up him. His eyes searched her face for signs she was hurt. "Are you alright? I read the briefing about the fight in the park on my way back." She nodded in response and absentmindedly touched the red mark on her temple, the only remaining evidence of her concussion.

Sharp eyes pinned her in place as he gently grasped her chin to get a better look at the mark. Cat let him fuss for a moment. Just having him near, feeling his warmth and smelling his cologne would have made anything better. She closed her eyes for a moment and considered hugging him, maybe even kissing him. They gazed at each other intensely. His eyes dropped to her lips and his breathing hitched for a moment.

Before he could do what he wanted and kiss her, Natasha came down the hall and the moment was lost. Barton nodded crisply to his old partner after taking a step away from Cat. It was his turn to give her a once over and his smile turned appreciative. "You look amazing!" Glancing down at her clothes she told him that she was planning on asking if anyone wanted to go out for breakfast. "Well I'm starving, how about you give me 30 minutes to clean up and I will take you to the best diner around?"

Cat looked down, blushing lightly. She wondered if this was a real date but decided to air on the side of caution and treat it as just friends. "You are on! See you in 30."

He gazed at her for a moment longer. "I can't wait to hear all about what I missed." Without waiting for a reply he adjusted the strap on his shoulder and headed off in the direction of his room. Cat shut the door and went to take another look in the mirror. This might not be an official date but she wanted to make sure she looked good anyway.

The face reflected back at her glowed. Her cheeks had a light blush and her lips were more pink than usual. Even her eyes were bright and sparkling. Yeah, she wasn't going to be able to do anything to spruce up her looks more than just having him back had. With a smile at herself she headed down to the kitchen to grab a coffee while she waited for Hawkeye to get cleaned up.

Tony wolf whistled when he saw her all dressed up, making her stick her tongue out at him again. Natasha smacked him in the back of the head for his vulgar attitude. Steve smiled at her and told her she looked very nice, which was seconded by everyone around the table. She blushed and thanked them, quietly telling them that she and Barton were going to grab breakfast to catch up.

Her back was turned so she missed the significant look Natasha and Pepper shared at the news. Both women had knowing smiles on their faces. Maybe those two were finally willing to admit they cared about each other. Only time would tell.

Everyone else had pretty much finished breakfast but they sat around the table waiting for Hawkeye to appear. They wanted their chance to say welcome back and also to see them leave for their date. Sure enough he appeared just as Cat put her empty coffee mug in the dishwasher.

He had made her pulse race before he cleaned up but the way he looked now left her speechless. The leather jacket was the same but the shirt underneath was a white v-neck that hugged his chest like a second skin, even the jeans fit perfectly in every way. To top it all off his hair was still damp and tousled in the way that was becoming her kryptonite.

Glancing around the room he nodded at everyone in passing but when his eyes found Caterina his smile really started so sparkle. He tore his eyes away from her long enough to assure everyone he was fine and to take gentle ribbing from Tony about getting punched in the face. "Ha ha Tony. Now, if you will excuse me I have a date for breakfast."

The word date made Cat feel giddy but she tamped it down, at least until Clint held out his hand to her. She slipped her hand into his grip and felt warmth spread through her, up to her smile. Her face felt like it might split if the smile got any broader and his smile was a mirror of hers.

Tony opened his mouth to make some snarky comment about the lover birds getting a room. Before he could utter a single syllable Pepper had slapped him upside the head. "Will you women stop _doing_ that!" He said with a grumble. The words broke the spell that Barton and Cat were under and the two finally say goodbye to the rest of the Avengers.

xXx

Across the old 1950's diner table the two of them waited for their breakfast to arrive. Barton kept encouraging her to tell him everything that happened while he was away, the good things at least. She filled him in on learning to shoot pool, baseball, trying ice cream and about her new Avenger's suit. Her running dialogue stopped abruptly when she realised that she also learned about pleasing herself while he was gone.

Barton watched the blush creep down her neck and into her cleavage. He was mesmerized and wanted to know how far down it went. Caterina chuckled at his obvious preoccupation and it was his turn to be embarrassed. Since getting out of Upsilon she had learned a lot about men but never really had the opportunity to flirt like this. It was liberating.

"So," began Barton slowly, "You have been spending a lot of time with Steve while I was gone." He pushed the newly arrived food around on his plate, not looking at her. Now this change in attitude came out of no where and Caterina had no idea what brought it about. She replied yes, totally confused.

He nodded at her and met her eyes again, searching for something. Cat tilted her head to the side inquisitively, "What? Clint you are confusing me." He continued to search her expressive cat eyes, wondering if she gave Steve the same sweet grin when she teased him. Had she shared a hug with Steve yet? His jaw clenched at the idea and Cat caught the tick of the muscle there.

Barton hadn't realised it until that moment, but he was losing the battle to keep her as just a friend. His pain over her spending time with Steve made it clear that this was no longer a brother/sister relationship it had started out as. Now he felt like he was back in junior high school, did she like him back?

He closed his eyes to think and was startled when she gently caressed the bruise on his cheekbone. The feather light touch snapped his eyes open. She was gazing at him with a mix of concern and teasing amusement. "I thought the point of being a marksman is that you don't have to get close enough to get hurt."

The grin he had lost earlier brightened his face again. "Ha Ha very funny." He shook his head at her gentle teasing. For a moment they shared a serious look, knowing that he couldn't tell her about what happened on the mission. For the first time in his life he really wished he could share it with someone, well with Shadow Cat.

He paid for their breakfast and they grabbed a cab back home. Cat rested her head on his shoulder during the ride. "You were right, that is the best diner in town." Barton looked down at her for a moment, blinking as he processed the thought. Suddenly he laughed, "Wait, you've never been to another diner in your life have you?" She bit her lip to keep from laughing and shook her head no. The two of them were still chuckling when Barton paid the driver back at the tower.

_A/N: *Squee!* Okay like I said I loved that chapter. I considered putting Hawkeye out of his jealous misery this chapter but I'll leave him in limbo until the next chapter to tell him that Steve is Natasha's. Anyway please, please tell me you liked it too! I was literally bouncing while I wrote it. Next episode is more adorable relationshipy goodness._


	15. Chapter 15 - Robin Hood

A Chance At Life

_**WARNING: ADULT THEMES**_

_A/N: Thank you to UsedMemories, JadeBottle and Cara for the encouraging reviews! The last chapter made me so giddy just like you all. More great fluff to come._

_**Previously**_

_He paid for their breakfast and they grabbed a cab back home. Cat rested her head on his shoulder during the ride. "You were right, that is the best diner in town." Barton looked down at her for a moment, blinking as he processed the thought. Suddenly he laughed, "Wait, you've never been to another diner in your life have you?" She bit her lip to keep from laughing and shook her head no. The two of them were still chuckling as Barton paid the driver back at the tower._

**Chapter 15 – Robin Hood**

Saturday morning

As the two of them stepped into the empty common room from the elevator Barton let out a big yawn. "Maybe you should get some sleep. It looks like you have a lot to catch up on." Cat was partly joking but mostly concerned about him. Clint blinked the extra moisture out of his eyes from the yawn and looked hard at her. She got the idea that he was weighing a decision.

Apparently he came to a conclusion because he pulled her into a hug and smiled down at her. She splayed her hands on his back as his arms wrapped around her shoulders. "How about we watch a movie instead? I can sleep later, you are here now." His heart beat a little faster when she gave one of her rare huge smiles. Whenever she smiled it was as if she was expecting people to be revolted by her carnivorous looking teeth. Every once in while he took her by surprise and the unguarded smile could melt anyone's heart.

"Alright, if you are sure we'll watch a movie." He stepped back which made them both a little sad. At least one of his hands slid down her arm to grasp her hand and tug her along with him. Instead of pulling her toward the home theatre he led her to his room. This was a turn Cat had not expected but she trusted him.

He opened his door and stepped in, leaving her to enter at her own pace. This was the first time she had ever been in another Avenger's room and she was especially intrigued to see what Hawkeye's might say about him.

The floor was the same hardwood as in her room and a desk was in the same spot but the rest of the room was quite different. The walls were painted a faint moss green which sets off the dark wood used throughout the room, including on the headboard of the bed. She studied his bed for a moment. The dark wood was a more modern style than hers, with a gold inlayed border and the black comforter looked welcoming with its gold embroidered pattern. The pillowcases and sheets broke up the darkness of the bed with a really rich green colour. It was masculine but inviting.

Turning in a circle she checked each wall. Where her built in bookshelf was he had a huge TV and on the adjacent wall, different types of bows were on display. Above the bed in place of art were bulls eyed targets with different distances on them. Behind her on his dresser she spied a collection of different types of watches which she had not been expecting. It all felt just like Clint, masculine but homey.

She turned back to him with a bright smile; he actually looked worried about what she thought of his personal space. He seemed relieved that she liked it and felt comfortable there.

He shrugged off his leather jacket and hung it on the back of his computer chair. His arms were finally exposed and Cat could see additional bruises. "Oh Clint, did you at least let medial check you out." He followed her gaze to his arms. "Don't worry I got all the cuts disinfected. They are all superficial. I'm perfectly fine, if a little stiff."

He strode over to her quickly, putting his hands on her shoulders and looking into her eyes. Concern was written all over her features and he wanted to do something, anything to make her see he was alright. He pulled her into another hug. This one was not like the others they had shared, it was meant to comfort and reassure her. Gently he rocked as he held her tightly.

When her needy grip around his waist started to loosen he put a little space between them to look at her face again. She smiled to let him know she was fine and he smiled back in relief. "Alright now that I have proved I am fine, have you ever seen a Robin Hood movie?" Cat shook her head. "You told me about him the other day. They made a movie about that folk hero?"

He couldn't help but laugh at the understatement. "Yeah, they made a few actually. You interested?" They agreed on the movie quickly and Hawkeye motioned for her to get comfortable on the bed while he set it up. He started the movie, dimmed the lights and joined her in leaning against the headboard with the pillows for support.

Part way through watching Kevin Costner kick butt Clint looked over at the woman beside him. Her eyes were shining with excitement and she was smiling as she watched avidly. He couldn't help but think how much he missed her while he was on assignment. Every night he was gone he thought about their nightly swims and watching her move gracefully as she worked out. He especially liked to recall how she purred that night on the couch. 'What else would make her purr?' he wondered with a smirk.

He made another decision to show her how he felt about her. His hand snaked across the bed to pull her closer. He settled her into the crook of his arm, resting his hand on her hip. She was tense for the first few minutes and he wondered if he had made a mistake. After a little while she melted against him and he felt relief wash over him.

At first Cat had felt weird when he pulled her against him but his warmth and smell worked their magic on her. He always smelled so damn good. She nuzzled into his chest for a moment, smelling him before turning her attention back to the movie. She wiggled for a moment to get comfortable making Barton laugh. "Do you always act so much like house cat?" She looked up at him and stuck out her tongue.

Their attention was back on the movie when Clint's hand began to randomly trace on her bare shoulder. Goosebumps erupted over her skin and she shivered with pleasure. Her body started to get really sensitive and she was hyper aware of every inch of her body pressed against his.

The movie ended and Cat sat up for a breather. Her body was a going haywire at all the stimulation and a break in contact did a lot to set her senses back to basic.

"Want to watch another movie alley cat?" She scrunched up her nose at the nickname but nodded yes. Spending time with him was the only thing she wanted to do after so many days of missing and worrying about him.

Clint put on a spy movie called Mission Impossible for them to watch next. As soon as he laid back down Cat was snuggled back into his arms. Her hand stroked at the skin of his chest above the neckline. They had both been beat up the last few days and holding each other, making sure they were alright, was the most important thing in the world for the two of them.

By the end of the second movie Caterina was again jittery. The ache between her legs was building and her mind was getting fuzzy. This was all very new to her and very confusing. She suggested lunch to get time to think. Clint chuckled sleepily but had to agree that he was hungry again.

He did his best to teach her how to make pancakes. They ended up getting flour everywhere and it took longer to clean up the mess than it did to eat the delicious creations but it was fun. "Alley Cat you are a lost cause in the kitchen." He said with a chuckle.

"Hey! That's not fair you have had years to learn how to cook and I have had less than a week really. Give me a break cowboy." It was his turn to snort in distain at a nickname. "Alright I will reserve judgement until after a few more lessons then."

After cleaning up and washing down pretty much every surface in the kitchen the two of them cuddle on the couch in the nearby sitting area. Finally Shadow Cat felt she had digested enough to have a good work out and said so to Clint. He asked if he could tag along again. He received one of her sparkling smiles; it made him feel like the luckiest man in the world.

She got up and helped him to his feet. First they went to her room where he stood outside the door as she changed into something more comfortable. Reappearing in shorts and a muscle shirt she slipped her arm through his like Steve taught her and steered him towards the elevator. He glanced down at their entwined arms and was reminded how much time she had been spending with the Captain.

He frowned at that thought again. She caught his shift in mood and quirked her eyebrow at him. "What was it Pepper told me to say? Oh! Penny for your thoughts." That got a small answering smile out of him but he was still preoccupied. He just shook his head and told her they should get to working out.

In the work out room Caterina slipped on real ballet slippers and wrapped them up her legs. She performed a complex routine that strained her muscles and made her feel like she was floating on a cloud. It was flowing, graceful and it kept her mind completely clear of thought.

When she is finished Hawkeye clapped enthusiastically at the performance. "You know, you remind me of watching the high wire act when I was part of the circus. It was always my favourite part of the show." She smiled in response and hoped he would keep talking. He explained about being orphaned in a car crash and escaping foster care with his brother.

Eventually they lapsed into silence and Cat told him a little more of her history. "You know I never met the woman who carried me to term, none of us did." She gave a dark chuckle. "We didn't even know parents existed until they taught us about them in a classroom when we were older. I don't think I really understood what family was until I came here."

Barton had been looking at her sadly but the last line brought out his smile again. They sat in companionable silence for a while, drawing comfort from each other. His hand rested on her leg and she covered his hand with hers. She leaned her head back against the wall and tried her best to clear her mind.

_A/N: I really am on a roll lately. I know, I'm awesome. I hope you enjoy reading this fluffy chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it. Love you all!_

_Please review, that is what gives you chapters so quickly!_


	16. Chapter 16 - No Nonsense

A Chance At Life

_**WARNING: ANGST AHEAD!**_

_A/N: If you have any ideas about another story you might like to see let me know. Also only one person so far has said they would like to see a story where a slightly different version of Cat ends up with Steve. Let me know if you might like to see that._

_**Previously  
**Barton had been watching her sadly but the last line brought out his smile again. They sat in companionable silence for a while, drawing comfort from each other. His hand rested on her leg and she covered his hand with hers. Leaning her head back against the wall she tried her best to clear her mind and live in the moment._

**Chapter 16 – No Nonsense**

Saturday Night

The two of them sat in silence for quite a while. Both of them were feeling very confused about their feelings and what they meant. Hawkeye had never found the time for more than a casual fling between assignments and Caterina was totally hopeless when it came to feelings of any sort.

Finally Cat's stomach rumbled, asking for something to eat. She looked over at the man beside her. He looked so tired and thoughtful. 'Yes,' she thought, 'This day has given me lots to think about too."

Getting to her feet finally caught Clint's attention and he opened his eyes to see what she was up to. She gave him a small smile and said she needed to get something to eat. Heaving himself to his feet with a smile the two of them went to the kitchen so he could cook her dinner.

They ate in relative silence; both of them were tired and deep in thought. It had a feeling of companionship that they both needed at the moment. After dinner though Caterina excused herself, saying she had a book she was eager to finish. Barton nodded, as if accepting her decision with ease. Secretly he was hurt that she distanced herself from him. Maybe she didn't miss him as much as he had missed her.

When she went to her room to try and gain perspective on everything he went out on the balcony with Tony's landing pad to think. Looking down on the city like that always calmed him but tonight it did little to help. His thoughts were on Shadow Cat. Did she really miss him when he was gone and if she did then why did she run off to her room? Was there something between her and Steve?

He sighed heavily and scrubbed a hand over his face. The last few days on the mission were taxing and he really should be sleeping. It was no use though; he knew that he would just be running over the same thoughts in his bed. At least out here the air was fresh and cool.

Soon he heard the sound of the Iron Man suit getting closer. He moved so his back was angled towards the landing platform, not wanting to speak with Stark right now. A loud clank and several mechanical whirs later he heard Tony heading toward where he stood. A few choice words went through his head at the nosy billionaire.

"Hey Cupid. Where's your lady love?" Tony saw Clint stiffen more than expected as he poked fun. This couldn't be good news. With a sigh he put on his best neutral face and asked what happened. He waited a few moments for an answer. Just when he thought that Clint was going to ignore him all night the archer's head lowered to hang down between his arms.

"I don't know what I am doing with her Tony. I thought I would come home and we would go back to being good friends but while I was gone I got into a bit of trouble and…." He trailed off, knowing he couldn't tell Tony what had almost happened to him on the mission. Tony had a good idea what he was talking about though.

"I know when I was taking that nuke through the rift I finally realised I loved Pepper." He looked hard at Barton and saw his jaw clench, confirming what he thought must have happened. "It got that bad?" Barton's eyes flicked to his for a moment, showing that bad was an understatement. Tony nodded in understanding.

"So Romeo, what's the problem? It seemed like you two were cozy enough before breakfast." Barton stood up straight; his strong hands gripped the railing so hard his knuckles turned white. "At breakfast she filled me in on the last few days. It seems the good Captain has made sure she didn't want for company." The last bit was said in almost a growl.

Tony blinked a few times then let out a howl of laughter. "That's it? That's the problem? You think her and the Capsicle have something going?" Clint turned on Tony, his hands clenched and his whole body tensed. Tony held up his hands in a placating manner. He really didn't want to take a punch in the face from someone with his upper body strength. "Whoa! I'm not laughing _at_ you. Well okay I kind of am but hear me out. Cat isn't in love with the Captain, Natasha is. There is no way the two of them are more than friends."

Slowly the tension drained out of him and Clint took on a look of comprehension. He even cracked a small smile. "Natasha and Rogers, eh? Cat mentioned something about that before I left but it slipped my mind."

Tony nodded. "Now back to your Cat problem. This woman is not like other girls. You can't romance her with poems, flowers and songs. You need something bold and original to show her how you feel."

Clint turned back to look out at the city lights, thinking. "Well that is a relief because I have never been much good at romance." He chuckled at himself. "What the heck do you get a girl like Shadow Cat? I've never met a woman like her."

Tony leaned on the railing, mirroring his friend's stance. "I'm not sure there is a woman like her." He thinks for a moment. "We'll have to check with Natasha but here is my idea-"

xXx

Meanwhile Cat gave up trying to read in a huff, throwing the book at the wall across the room with a bang. She literally growled in frustration. This day had been so emotionally taxing. First the elation of Clint coming back and asking her on a date had her flying high. The worry over seeing his bruises was so intense she thought she might be sick. He held her until she could compose herself and then cuddled her in bed. He had acted weird at breakfast too. She had no idea what was going on here or what she should do next.

Getting up from her window seat she began to pace her room. An idea came to her suddenly and she had JARVIS track Natasha down in her own room and went there to speak with her. She knocked impatiently until the red headed spy opened the door.

Natasha gave her a surprised look but Cat cut off any questions by asking if she could come in. She opened the door wider and motioned the younger woman in while she sat on the bed. Caterina began to pace again so Natasha just waited for her to bring up what was bothering her.

"Clint confuses the heck out of me! I thought this morning he was going to kiss me but then at breakfast he got all cold suddenly. When he touches me I can't think or focus. I don't know anything about this Natasha." She stopped pacing and starred right at Natasha, pleading.

"Okay. First what were you talking about before he got all cold?"

Caterina thought back to the morning. "We were just talking about what I learned while he was gone. You know Steve took me to get ice cream and taught me about baseball." Natasha put on her work face to stop from grinning. She thought she knew what was going on here. "So you told him you spent a lot of time with Steve while he was gone?"

Without understanding where the other woman was heading with the conversation Caterina nodded. This time Natasha let her grin shows. "He's jealous Cat. He thinks that Steve took his place while he was gone." Finally she understood. Jealous! That made her giggle a little. Her and Captain Rogers? No way!

The two women chuckled together for a moment before Natasha turned to the other problem. "Well I guess that proves he does like you, so the question is do you like him?"

Cat bit her lip, careful of her canines. After a moment she finally spoke, "Natasha I have been trained to keep my focus perfectly no matter what but just a look from him and it goes out the window. All of my past could not prepare me for how my body heats up and I can not keep him out of my head."

She said it all in a matter of fact way but it still moved Natasha. Everyone thought that Black Widow was cold and hard but deep down she cared about every member of her new little family in a passionate way. This naïve little girl had become a little sister to her and Clint had long been a brother. To see the two of them about to find happiness together made her heart warm.

"Okay Shadow Cat, if you really want to encourage him here is my advice. Just be open and honest with him and when you two are together find excuses to touch him. Most important of all never forget to laugh at his jokes, even if they aren't funny." Caterina finally lost her serious expression and gave her friend a toothy grin. She said thank you and headed back to her room. She could at least try to have a calm evening with her book now.

xXx

Natasha waited a few minutes before slipping out of her room to find Clint. If he screwed this up and hurt Cat she was going to skin him alive. She found him right were JARVIS said he would be, in the games room. She hadn't expected him to be there with Tony sharing a drink.

The two men noticed her at the same time and both gave her the grin of a cat that just ate the canary. What had she just walked into? Natasha eyed them suspiciously but joined them at the bar anyway, taking the seat Tony vacated. He slipped around behind the bar to pour her a shot of her favourite vodka.

"We need a woman's perspective on our plans for Romeo here to woe the kitten." Natasha looked between the two. "So that is what you two were in here plotting. I thought I smelled trouble." The men looked at each other and grinned. Tony started to lay out their plans but Natasha held up a hand to stop them.

"Cat was just in my room very confused about what Barton's intentions are." She spoke first to Tony and then turned to her partner. "That woman doesn't need any more hurt in her life so don't you toy with her. If you intentionally hurt her I will end you, so help me Mother Russia I will." Her deadly glare sobered Clint up for a moment. Tony just found the whole thing amusing.

"Natasha I promise that she is one of the most important things in my life right now. I would never do anything to hurt her if I can help it." She starred at his face for a moment, using all her skills to read if he was being truthful. With a final nod she sat down to listen to their plan.

_A/N: So, what did you think? Angsty chapters are a lot harder for me to write but I think this one actually came out adorably! More reviews mean faster updates.  
I wrote this story because I felt like there were not enough Hawkeye stories. I can write a fanfic for just about anything so if there is something you want to see you can PM me with some info and I'll do my best to write something up for you. _

_I love you all and I am really going to miss you when this story is over._


	17. Chapter 17 - Clint's Plan

A Chance At Life

_A/N: I am making plans for a sequel(we have to take down Upsilon don't we?) and another Hawkeye/OC fic. Keep your eyes peeled for them to pop up. Hopefully I can wrap this one up for you soon._

**WARNING: Adult Themes and Sexual Situations**

_**Previously  
**"Natasha I promise that she is one of the most important things in my life right now. I would never do anything to hurt her if I can help it." She stared at his face for a moment, using all her skills to read if he was being truthful. With a final nod she sat down to listen to their plan._

**Chapter 17 – Clint's Plan  
**Sunday

Sunday morning was very quiet for Caterina. She did her usual gymnastic work out and took a swim in the pool. The only person she saw all morning was Captain Rogers who made her promise to watch football with him that afternoon. It felt like everyone was avoiding her but she supposed that was just silly. They had every right to be busy just like she did.

Finishing up the dishes from a late lunch Cat heard Steve call her into the TV room. He had arranged various kinds of chips and a couple beers on the table for them. She jumped over the back of the couch to land beside him with a bounce. He handed her a beer and clinked his with hers before taking a drink. It seemed like an odd custom but she had seen others do it while drinking together so it must serve some purpose. She mentally shrugged and took a swallow.

The beer was more bitter than she had expected, thankfully she managed not to cough as she swallowed. Did people really drink this stuff? She watched the Captain taking a sip of his. He seemed to be enjoying it. Again she took a sip, more cautiously this time. Now that she was prepared it wasn't so bad. She read the label while the pre-game show started. 'Crisp and Clear isn't how I would describe it,' she thought with a smirk.

Following Steve's lead she leaned back and propped her feet up on the coffee table. "Where is everyone today, Captain?"

Steve glanced over at her and shrugged. "No one said anything to me about plans except Thor. He is visiting his lady friend in New Mexico and will be back this evening."

Caterina was a little disappointed that he couldn't tell her where Barton was. She was suddenly worried he had been called away on assignment again. Frowning she put the thought out of her head and went back to watching the game. Since Steve had explained the game last week she could see the battle tactics being employed. It wasn't the fastest paced of games usually but it had its interesting moments.

The half time show started and Caterina zoned out. Marching bands and bad singing was the worst part of the game in her opinion! Yes the athletes might need a break to refine their strategy and rest but did they have to put on these annoying displays while they waited? She'd rather watch the zamboni go around the hockey rink than this terrible stuff.

At the sound of someone coming into the lounge both Cat and Steve looked up. Natasha was standing beside where Steve's legs were outstretched onto the coffee table, looking at him intently. He cleared his throat and sat up straighter, putting his feet back on the floor. "Good afternoon Agent Romanov won't you join us for the second half?"

Her eyes moved to the screen, to Caterina and then back to the man in front of her. "Steve…" She trailed off, trying to find the right words. Cat was insatiably curious but also felt like she was intruding on a private moment. She mumbled an excuse about getting another beer and stood up.

The Captain was looking up at Natasha with a perplexed look on his face. 'This man really is clueless,' thought Cat. She was halfway to the doorway when he spoke next. "What is it Natasha? Do you need something?"

With a great sigh Natasha answered him simply. "You!" With that exclamation she leaned down to kiss him. One of her hands gripped the front of his shirt, pulling him toward her. For a moment Steve did not move but then his arms wrapped around her waist pulling her onto his lap. His hands clutched her thighs, making her straddle his hips. The two of them stopped kissing for a moment, their faces flushed, breath coming in pants.

Caterina disappeared into the kitchen, leaving the love birds to work out just what they needed from each other. She was still grinning and blushing when boredom drew her down to the lab floor in search of company. Tony was still nowhere to be found but Dr. Banner was at his usual work station.

She knocked softly on the door to get his attention but he was engrossed in his task. Slipping out of the room she gave up and asked JARVIS where Clint was. The computer answered that he had left the building with Mr. Stark earlier that morning and had not yet returned. Cat sighed and headed back to her room. There was still that book to read.

xXx

About an hour before her normal dinner time there was a knock at her door. Cat set down her book and practically skipped to the door, hoping it was Clint. Instead of a person on the other side of the door there was one of Tony's robot helpers. To say she was surprised would be putting it mildly.

Dummy raised its grasping arm and offered her a cream coloured envelope. As soon as she took it the little thing rolled off down the hall. Shadow Cat stood there perplexed for a moment before her curiosity got the better of her and she opened it. Inside was a card with gold lettering. It contains a list of instructions. Shower, put on the green cocktail dress, come to Clint's room in an hour.

She turned the card over but that was all it said. Now she was even more curious. She asked JARVIS where Hawkeye was but his only response was that information was currently restricted. She grumbled to herself and went to get ready.

Half an hour later she had showered, slipped on the dress suggested by the invitation and was working on her hair. With a smile she tucked her hair carefully behind her ears before arranging it into a clip. The updo was sophisticated and she felt like it went with the dress, not to mention Clint would appreciate that the tips of her exotic ears were uncovered. He did seem to like it when she was herself around him.

The last few touches to her outfit were easy. Natasha and Pepper and shown her how all the accessories they had bought went with which dresses. Finally she was finished and took a look at herself in the full length mirror.

The rich green silk of the dress clung to her curves. The deep V of the neck showed off the rounded tops of her breasts in a tempting manner and was mirrored in the back, showing an expanse of skin. The dress came to a little above her knee but a slit up one leg let her creamy thigh peek out when she walked. Her gold shoes and necklace enhanced the green of her dress and the golden flecks in her feline eyes.

The overall effect stunned Caterina. She hardly recognized herself and could only hope that Hawkeye liked it.

Running her hands down her thighs she smoothed the fabric one last time. She glanced at the clock and realised it was time to leave. One more calming breath and she set off down the hall.

She stood in front of his door for more than a minute, trying to get up the courage to knock. She felt more than a little silly all dressed up like this. She was a soldier; she should be able to handle any situation. With a stern nod she knocked on the door.

Caterina's mouth dropped open at the sight before her. Hawkeye stood there in a dark charcoal suit. His vest and tie were the same colour silk as her dress. The crisp white shirt looked good against his tanned skin. Slowly his eyes travelled over her body and a sexy grin spread across his features. He took in her parted lips and flushed cheeks, knowing that it was a reaction to him and his grin grew wider.

Their eyes met and it seemed like time stopped for both of them. All the desire and passion came pouring out at once. Caterina hoped that he would kiss her but he pulled himself together and stepped back to allow her into the room. There would be time for kissing later, after he romanced her.

Hawkeye strode over to the set of doors that led out onto his private balcony. When she was in his room last time Cat had not noticed this room had a set of glass doors where her window seat would have been. Eager to see the view she breezed past him only to stop at the sight awaiting her.

On the stone patio was set a low table for two with pillows and blankets beside it. Patio lanterns were nestled around the low outer wall, giving the whole area a charming glow. Soft classical music played in the background, though she could see no speakers at first glance. The whole scene took her breath away.

A warm hand on her back urged her to step closer to the table. She could see it was filled with small plates holding bite size portions of different foods. Turning to face Clint she gave him a quizzical look. His grin softened as he spoke, "I want to learn everything about you Caterina Marcos, the good and the bad. Everything you want to share with me. As a start I had this dessert buffet put together so we can learn which is your favourite."

That said he drew her down with him onto the soft pillows. He handed her a glass of strawberry champagne and let her choose the first dessert for them to try. She chose something that looked like ice cream. It turned out to be a dark chocolate mousse which they both enjoyed but agreed it was too bitter to be her favourite.

They spent the evening trying all different types of dessert from honey glazed donuts to crème brulee. Caterina thought for sure she had come across her favourite when she tried brownies and again when she tried cheesecake but it was Ukranian honey cake that ultimately won the day. It was so soft, moist, and sweet.

The honeyed-cream melted on her tongue and she had to close her eyes to savour it better. When she finally opened them again Hawkeye was starring at her. "You are so beautiful," He breathed as he leaned toward her, his hand coming up to cup the back of her neck, and Cat was sure he was going to kiss her. He stopped just short of kissing her and leaned back. His hand moved from her neck to stroke her cheek then slid down her arm to grasp her hand. Climbing to his feet he pulled her up with him.

Shadow Cat was a little confused and disappointed at not being kissed. She let Hawkeye pull her into his arms and slowly they began to move to the music. Caterina was actually dancing! The confused expression on her face turned to glee as she was twirled slowly in his arms.

Their eyes met. Hers sparkled with excitement and his looked down on her with warmth. Her cheeks flushed from the way he was looking at her. Her tongue darted out to moisten her lips and his eyes jerked to the movement. Without a moment's hesitation his mouth crashed down on Cat's. She tasted like honey and cream from the cake she tasted last.

The desire to take her was almost more than Hawkeye could bear but he pulled back and forced himself to go slow. His hands splayed on her back, holding her close as he kissed her. His tongue flicked over her lips asking for entrance which was granted when she sighed in contentment.

Dipping his tongue in he tasted more of the sweet dessert and thought it was quickly becoming his favourite dessert too. Caterina's body pressed harder against him. One of his legs slipped between hers as he cradled her hips to his. One hand moved from her hip to the slit of the dress. His heavily calloused fingers stroked her thigh in feather-light circles causing goosebumps to erupt all over her body. Caterina let out a shaky moan as Hawkeye moved from kissing her mouth to gentle nipping at her neck, his hand still stroking her thigh in the most enticing way.

Suddenly the pair was interrupted by a piercing alarm. They sprang apart, looking for the source of the sound which stopped a moment later. It was replaced with the voice of Tony Stark speaking to them over an intercom. "We have reports of more Dr. Doom pets headed this way! All hands to battle stations!" Clint swore.

The two almost lovers spared a moment to share a lingering look that promised to finish this later before running off to the armoury to suit up.

_A/N: Sorry it took so long to update. I know I am mean (and a little predictable) to interrupt them but what's life without a little anticipation?  
_

_I had a lot of trouble figuring out just what I wanted to have Hawkeye do. I couldn't see him doing something too romantic and Cat wouldn't want something like that anyway. If you have a better suggestion I just might re-write this chapter. Please let me know if this felt realist for their characters. Thanks to my friend Jeremy for this idea too (I know hearing me ramble on about this was not the highlight of his night)  
_

_For the record I LOVE marching bands and was in one actually so don't kill me for that comment about them sucking!_


	18. Chapter 18 - The Good Fight

A Chance At Life

**WARNING: Violence**

_**Previously  
**Suddenly the pair was interrupted by a piercing alarm. They sprang apart, looking for the source of the sound which stopped a moment later. It was replaced with the voice of Tony Stark speaking to them over an intercom. "We have reports of more Dr. Doom pets headed this way! All hands to battle stations!" Clint swore. _

_The two almost lovers spared a moment to share a lingering look that promised to finish this later before running off to the armoury to suit up._

**Chapter 18 – The Good Fight  
**

Everyone managed to get dressed in their battle gear and make it to the roof before any robots made it to the tower. Tony spared a moment to give Clint an apologetic look. He might not have been able to stop this attack but he was sympathetic that the timing couldn't have been worse. Clint gave him a curt nod in return before he moved to stand protectively close to Shadow Cat.

Captain Rogers pulled his mask over his face and began laying out a battle plan. "Dr. Banner is still in the lab trying to crack the signal to shut down these bots. We have to keep them occupied and away from the lab long enough for him to finish his work. Tony go and make sure they come here, we don't want any civilian casualties. Be safe everyone and keep in mind they might set off a self destruct sequence if you disable but not destroy them."

Tony shot off to do as ordered but Roger's need not have worried because the robots were headed straight for Avenger's Tower. He got close enough to report something startling, "Uhm Captain these are definitely not the robots we fought before. These are definitely part human in a really gross way."

He hovered in the air to study them as they flew closer. They all had one eye replaced with a mechanical sensor. The metal looked like it dug harshly into their skin. Their bodies were covered in some kind of exoskeleton with cables and tubes snaking over its surface. Some were missing arms which had been replaced with odd metal parts, some meant to grasp and others he couldn't guess at the purpose of.

When he felt like he had gathered enough intelligence on the new enemy he flew back to join the others. They all stood tensely, weapons at the ready, for the black dots to come closer. It was not long before they did.

Cat grasped the battle claws she favoured. The razor sharp points slipped out from between each finger as she grasped the handle firmly in her fist. She spared a glance at Clint who looked up from his notched arrow to give her a reassuring smile. Caterina returned his smile with one of her own even though she didn't feel the confidence she was projecting. Her feelings for Clint were finally coming to a head and the though of him getting hurt in this fight was eating her up.

Trying to focus on her own part in the fight she had to trust him to do the same. Her eyes moved to look at the other members of her new family. She couldn't afford to loose any of them after finally finding somewhere she really fit in. Setting her face in a grim look of determination she crouched and checked the position of the cyborgs flying at them.

The sound of her heartbeat faded as time seems to slow down. The flying creatures were right above the tower now and Caterina could see them in exquisite detail. Some kind of liquid pumped through one of the tubes and their mechanical eyes dart from target to target. Guns mounted on their forearms began to rise, covering the Avengers. Shadow Cat gathered her legs under herself and sprang high into the air. One set of her claws punctured the abdomen of a cyborg, allowing her to cling to it as it continued to fly. Before it could even bring up an arm to push her off she swung her other set of claws up into its temple.

The flying thrusters cut off suddenly dropping them both towards the ground. With a mighty pull Cat wrenched both of her claws free of metal and bone to jump onto another nearby cyborg. She repeated the dual attack of her claws and this time leapt back onto the roof beside Hawkeye. He didn't spare her a glance but continued to shoot off arrow after arrow to fell these abominations from the night sky.

Natasha had her twin pistols out firing rapidly and Captain America was using his shield to flatten any of the part human machines that dared to land on the roof near her. Tony and Thor were in the air taking on the seemingly endless swarms of the things. Cat joined Captain America in keeping the cyborgs away from Barton and Natasha.

Dr. Banner's voice crackled over their radios telling them he just needed a few more minutes before he could shut down their programming. Everyone fought hard but it seemed like there was always another robot to take the place of one they took down. Cat noted that this model was faster and more manuverable than the other she and Steve had fought. Their human squishy parts did tend to make them easier to kill so long as you could get to the head or through the exoskeleton.

The four Avengers on the roof fought hard but were eventually surrounded by a circle of robotic creatures. They raised the weapons attached to their arms to fire on them and promptly powered down. Thrusters cut off on the remaining flying cyborgs and they dropped to the ground. Dr. Banner's triumphant yell over the radio made them all smile warily. They had all survived mostly unharmed.

Barton turned to Cat and started looking her over for injuries. She knew she would probably have some bruises but she assured him she was fine. His hand came up to caress her cheek and he began to lean in to kiss her when the sound of Tony's Iron Man suit landing on the roof made him think better of it for the moment.

Dr. Banner joined them on the roof a minute later. He looked around at the heaps of powered off cyborgs and then at his teammates. "Looks like things got a little intense up here!" He said with only mild concern, making Clint roll his eyes and snort. "Yeah a little."

Tony's faceplate slid up and he looked at each person in turn. "I don't know about you all but I say we take this fight to Dr. Doom instead of sitting around here waiting for his next attack."

Captain Rogers frowned for a moment. "I don't think Director Fury would sanction such a mission without further information."

Tony rolled his eyes at the comment. He was never one for listening to authority figures. Before he could make a comment to that effect though Dr. Banner spoke up, "I think we can convince him. I reversed the signal controlling the cyborgs and was able to hack into Dr. Doom's computer with a little help from JARVIS. We now have all the information on his cybrogs and base that we need to plan a proper attack."

xXx

Armed with the code to shut down Dr. Doom's robot army the team got the go ahead from SHIELD to take down the secret American base of the evil scientist. A quin jet ride later and the Avengers are crouched in a wooded area looking down on the compound. Tony uses the night vision in his suit to plan out a likely route to avoid patrolling guards.

With Tony and Cat in the lead to make use of their night vision abilities the group stealthily moves in. Silently Cat takes out all of the human guards that come near their position, knocking them unconscious and tying them up to face justice later.

xXx

The fight was bloodier than the one on the roof. Not all of the creations inside responded to the shut down code. Everyone took at least a few good hits during the melee. The only one who comes out of the ordeal unscathed in Dr. Banner and that is due just to the Hulk being indestructible. Cat has a broken wrist and Hawkeye twisted an ankle jumping down from his shooting perch when she cried out in pain. One of Natasha's eyes was swollen shut but the other watched Steve give orders regarding the prisoners to other SHIELD agents. He and Thor had both mostly healed their minor cuts and bruises already but the gaping holes in their uniforms showed where they had once been.

Tony sat nearby. He groaned with each breath. At the end of the fight Dr. Doom had booted up his massive prototype robot and Tony had nearly been crushed under its weight when the Hulk smashed its power core. His suit was dented in and he whined to anyone that would listen that he thought one of his ribs was broken.

Finally Steve was finished giving orders. He turned back to his team and said, "Lets go home!" He got tired smiles in return. Cat helped Hawkeye to his feet with her good hand and wrapped his arm around her shoulders to take some of his weight off his bad ankle. Tony heaved himself up with a groan, still muttering to Bruce and Thor about his broken rib. Natasha slipped her hand into Steve's and together they entered the jet for the short ride home.

_A/N: Fight scenes are hard! I kind of cheaped out on this chapter. I had planned to write out in detail the capture of Dr. Doom but I just couldn't bring myself to do it. I know you all were waiting so patiently for this chapter so I hope you like it._


	19. Chapter 19 - Aftermath

A Chance At Life

**WARNING: Mature Content and Sexual Situations**

_A/N: You guys are the best reviewers ever! You always make me smile. Thanks so much! I am going to add an extra chapter at the end of this story detailing the fight to take down Dr. Doom for those of you who wondered what happened. I'm not sure when I will get around to it but I hope you appreciate it. _

_**Previously  
**Finally Steve was finished giving orders. He turned back to his team and said, "Lets go home!" He got tired smiles in return. Cat helped Hawkeye to his feet with her good hand and wrapped his arm around her shoulders to take some of his weight off his bad ankle. Tony heaved himself up with a groan, still muttering to Bruce and Thor about his broken rib. Natasha slipped her hand into Steve's and together they entered the jet for the short ride home._

**Chapter 19 – Aftermath**

_Later that Evening_

Cat carried Barton's bag to his room with her good hand as he made his way slowly on crutches. They were returning from the medical lab where Dr. Banner had pronounced Hawkeye's ankle only a mild sprain and given him strict orders to stay off it for a couple weeks. Cat's wrist needed only a temporary cast after Dr. Banner made sure the bones were set properly. They both knew it would be healed in a matter of a day or two. Her assortment of bruises and cuts were already well on the way to disappearing.

Clint propped himself up in bed and gave Cat a glare when she went to put an extra pillow under his injured leg. She held up her hands innocently enough and didn't say anything when he snatched the pillow from her and slid it under his leg on his own. Shadow Cat just stood there studying him with serious eyes. He had such a grimace on his face she thought about leaving him alone but couldn't make herself go.

His eyes slid shut and he rested his head back on the pillows for a moment before looking at her. He gave a sigh a tried to remind himself that he was just mad about being bed ridden and not mad at her. He patted the other side of the bed, inviting her to join him. Giving him a relieved smile, Cat gingerly climbed on to the bed beside him. She cradled her uninjured arm against her stomach and threw the other one over Clint's stomach, nestling her head on his shoulder. He had to smile at the contented sound she made as his arm squeezed her gently.

Caterina closed her eyes and just held him for a moment. When he had jumped those twenty feet to the ground from the beam he had claimed as a shooting platform her heart had stopped beating. She knew that he did it to come to her rescue and that made her feel very guilty. If only she had paid more attention to that scorpion like robot. Its tail whipped out to break her wrist faster than even she could dodge. Clint had landed on its back and driven an arrow through its power core before she could think to do the same with her battle claws.

It was only when he had limped towards her that she noticed he must have hurt his leg in the jump. Silly man! She fumed silently thinking back on it but she was at least smart enough to know that she was really mad at herself and not at him. Snuggling closer she attempted to catch a hint of his cologne but it was obscured but the smell of smoke and motor oil coating the clothes they had both fought in.

With an aggravated snarl Caterina sat up suddenly making Clint jump. "Sorry," she mumbled. "We need to get you in the shower, or maybe the bath would be better." The last was said while eyeing his ankle.

His eyes glinted mischievously, "We, eh?" Cat blushed for a moment, looking down at the carpet but slowly her eyes met his. She gave a shy smile but a very deliberate nod. Clint answered with his own wide grin. "Well what are we waiting for woman?"

For a moment Caterina considered carrying him into the bath, knowing she was more than strong enough but he probably wouldn't like that. Instead she handed him his crutches from were they had fallen beside the bed. She went into the bathroom to start the bath. She was a little disappointed that he didn't have any bubble bath but she supposed most men wouldn't. A few drops of his shower gel seemed to do the trick and the familiar smell was very soothing to her frayed nerves.

A moment later Hawkeye joined her beside the giant whirlpool tub. He reached for the zipper on his bulletproof vest but Cat stopped him. She undid it slowly then took his crutches from him and leaned them against the vanity, removing her jacket at the same time. Her hands slid into the opening of the vest, tracing over his hard abs and along his ribs to push the vest down his arms.

Clint stood perfectly still after tossing his vest to the side, seeming to sense that she needed something from him. She ran her fingers over the bruises and small cuts on his arms and torso. Bending closer her mouth came to hover over one small cut on his bicep. The sensation of her warm breath on his skin made him bite his lip to stifle a groan, his eyes sliding shut to feel it better. When she did not move after a moment he opened his eyes to look down at her. Cat's eyes were begging permission to touch him the way she wanted to and his smile was all she needed to kiss the cut. Her hands and mouth roamed over his upper body, kissing and caressing every bruise and cut. She was determined to make sure he was alright and to make up for being the cause of some of his pain.

By the time she was finished Clint was no longer trying to stifle his groans. She was killing him, slowing and enjoyably for sure but she was still killing him. He watched her kiss down both arms and then across his chest but when she dipped down closer to waistline of his pants he had to shut his eyes against the visual or else embarrass himself. He didn't open his eyes again until he felt Cat stand up, her hands playing with the hair at the nape of his neck. Even with her black tank top between them he could feel the heat of her body pressed against his.

Their eyes met, searching again for confirmation that they were actually fine. That everything would be alright. Lightening fast Caterina brought his mouth down against hers. The kiss was rough and demanding. It was a pouring out of relief and a reaffirmation that they were alive. Cat didn't pull back until they were both panting for breath. He rested his forehead against hers and neither of them moved for several long moments. Finally the sound of JARVIS automatically turning off the water as the tub became full spurred them into movement.

Cat pushed Hawkeye down until he was sitting on the edge of the tub. She gently undid the bandage wrapped around his ankle to keep it stationary and winced at the very nasty looking bruise that was already visible. Tossing the wrap on top of the pile of clothes she moved on to his belt. Quickly she helped him pull off his pants, mindful of his sore ankle. He was left in his boxers and Cat was apprehensive about removing those herself. With a blush she turned her back and motioned for him to get into the tub.

Nudity never phased her while at Upsilon. Everyone shared dormitories and showers within the base but since being away from there things had definitely changed! She had planned to join Hawkeye in the tub but now she felt embarrassed about the idea and thought better of it.

Once the sound of sloshing water faded away she turned back around to see Hawkeye settling himself back in the tub. He gave a mild grimace of pain as the hot water stung his abrasions but it only lasted a few moments. The bubbles hid everything below the water much to her relief so she felt free to step closer. Caterina kneeled at the side of the tub and swished her uninjured arm in the bathwater, making sure to keep her cast nice and dry. Taking a cloth from the counter behind her she dipped it in the water and gently washed a few smears of dirt off his face and neck. He gave her a rueful smile, not used to being taken care of.

Barton sat up and gently pulled the cloth from her hands. Carefully he used the damp cloth to wash first one arm and then the other above the cast. He ran it delicately over her face and down her neck and into the bit of cleavage exposed above her tank top and sports bra. Caterina enjoyed the experience with her eyes closed and a smile on her lips. She imagined it was his warm mouth for a moment as it trailed lower across her chest but pushed the thought aside when she felt her cheeks getting red.

When he was finished with the task he tossed the cloth back into the bath water. Cat opened her eyes and gave him one of her toothy grins. There was something so intimate about washing each other, even if she fully clothed. Clint reached up and snagged her upper arm, pulling her part of the way over the bathtub. She had to rest her good hand on his chest for balance and just had time to enjoy the sensation of his rippling muscles under her hand before he took her breath away with another scorching kiss.

Clint understood that she wasn't ready for sex yet. He assumed that they were heading that way when she lead him in here but understood the second she hesitated to remove his underwear. Sometimes it was so easy to forget that she was so naïve about certain things. He could wait, he had patience to spare.

After helping him out of the bath with her eyes closed Cat handed him a towel and sat him on the side of the tub again. She disappeared into his bedroom and returned with a pair of baggy pajama pants for him to slip on. Seating him on the edge of the tub she rewrapped his ankle firmly so he could use his crutches to return to bed.

Caterina stood awkwardly beside where he lay, shifting her weight from side to side. Clint looked at her with one eyebrow arched to question what she was doing. She blushed furiously and began to speak very quickly, "I just… Can I…. I don't want to go back to my room and be alone yet." She finished speaking and looked down at the floor, afraid of what his answer would be.

Clint couldn't help but grin at how adorable she was. "Well, why don't you go shower and put on something more comfortable and we can watch some TV together. How does that sound?" Her grin of gratitude made him feel like a million bucks. The smallest things made her so happy and he could feel the warm glow of the feeling reflected in himelf.

A little while later she returned in a clean tank top and itty bitty shorts. Clint cursed the lack of underwear under his baggy pants as the sight of her bare legs and bra free chest had him starting to stiffen. Subtly he shifted to adjust himself before she could climb in the bed and snuggle against him, pulling the blanket up to cover their legs. He turned back to the late night talk show while she draped a leg and arm over him, resting her head on his bare shoulder like earlier. Her nose skimmed along his neck, taking in his smell. It took all of his training to stop from shuddering at the feather light contact.

He had JARVIS turn off the lights and turned down the volume on the shower to a bare whisper. Before long he knew that Cat was sound asleep and he took the opportunity to drink in the sight of her. Her hair was pulled into a loose braid that lay across bicep and her face was snuggled into his bare chest. One of her arms was folded across his stomach, her good hand right in front of her face. The other arm with the cast was partly under her body, the cast snug tight against her stomach.

He desperately wished he too was wearing shorts so he could feel the thigh thrown over his leg skin to skin. As a compromise he reached his free hand under the blanket to feel the silky smooth skin. He closed his eyes and removed his hand from her leg before he did something he might regret. He moved it up his body to place it over her hand on his chest.

The arm that held her against him tightened of its own accord, bringing her body closer to his possessively and he almost laughed when the sound of sleepy purring started coming from the woman next to him. Hawkeye settled for a grin as he drifted off to sleep, perfectly content.

_A/N: Alright there are only a couple of chapters left. The next chapter is the one some of you have been waiting for the smutty-goodness. After that is the epilogue and after that a few one shots like the final battle against Dr. Doom and maybe some Natasha/Steve moments if you guys say you want to see them. There will be a sequel to this story where they take down Upsilon and Dr. Banner gets his lady love. I am not sure when it will be coming but keep an eye out for it!_


	20. Chapter 20 - Love at Last

A Chance At Life

**WARNING: Mature Content and Sexual Situations**

_A/N: Thank you to **miller330 and hellgirl-fan1** for always reviewing and to **SparklyNinjaSparkles and Alive Through Writing** for giving me the best reviews ever! It means a lot. As I said at the end of the last chapter I will be doing a sequel to this story at some vague point in the future. I hope you will all join me for more Shadow Cat/Hawkeye as well as Bruce and a new OC. _

_**Previously**_

_The arm that held her against him tightened of its own accord, bringing her body closer to his possessively and he almost laughed when the sound of sleepy purring started coming from the woman next to him. Hawkeye settled for a grin as he drifted off to sleep, perfectly content. _

**Chapter 20 – Love at Last**

_Two weeks later_

Waking up together that first morning after sleeping beside each other two weeks ago had been a little awkward but that faded in the mornings following it. Now it was no surprise when Clint woke up with Shadow Cat in his arms. Like this morning he usually awoke spooning her, breathing in the scent of her hair. He smiled against her shoulder as she began to wake up, stretching like a satisfied house cat.

"Stop laughing at the way I stretch," came the sleepy murmur from the woman in his arms.

"Sorry babe but you are just too cute!" He said as he propped himself up on his elbow to lean over her and give her a quick kiss before rolling over to slide out of bed. Against Bruce's protest he had given up using the crutches days ago but he still placed his foot gingerly as he stood. He headed to the bathroom, knowing she always likes to bask in the sun coming through the window before she feels awake enough to go through her bathroom routine. Cat peeked open one eye to watch the muscles in his back ripple along his back as he walked to the bathroom.

Waking up in his arms the last two weeks had been pure heaven to Cat but nothing compared to what they got up to before bed. He never pushed her beyond kisses and caresses but oh how he made her feel. If he kept up this slow pace Cat was sure she would actually combust soon!

Climbing out of bed Cat touched the head of her stuffed tiger on the night stand and went to stretch in the sunshine streaming through the doors of the balcony. The first stirrings of an idea came to her then. If Barton wasn't going to give her what she wanted she would just have to take it! With that thought she set off for her own room to shower, change and then hunt down Natasha.

Clint opened the door to the bathroom a minute later. He was a little perplexed to find Caterina gone but in the time he had known her she did a lot of things he just didn't understand. Shaking his head he went to get dressed and then find his absent girlfriend.

He caught up with her in the kitchen. She, Natasha, and Pepper were giggling at the kitchen counter. When they saw him coming down the stairs they all gave him innocent smiles which made him a little uneasy. Anything these women were planning involving him made him decidedly nervous.

Cat handed him a mug of coffee prepared just the way he liked it on his way to the table. She joined him after toasting herself a bagel. Natasha and Pepper said good morning but headed for the elevator instead of joining them. Clint sipped his coffee and watched Cat eating her breakfast. As she licked the last of the cream cheese off the tips of her fingers he started feeling distinctly hot under the collar. Out of respect for her he had been setting a slow pace in the bedroom but he was dying to ravish her and forced himself to look away from her tongue lapping at her fingers.

"You ran off pretty quick this morning." He observed. Cat gave him an apologetic smile and got up to put her plate in the dishwasher. "Yeah, sorry I forgot that there was something I wanted to talk to Natasha about." Clint turned in his chair to look at her, "Oh?"

Cat shook her head, "Nothing important, don't worry. Just some girl stuff."

"Uh huh." He mumbled, not believing her. He knew the women were up to no good. He could feel it in his gut. She gave him her best angelic, innocent smile which made him smile back at her. It didn't matter what she was up to because he would go along with whatever she wanted just to see her smile. "Will you be alright on your own today? I am still on medical leave but I wanted to check in with SHIELD HQ this morning."

Cat did her best to appear nonchalant about his absence for the day but secretly she was pleased. It solved the problem of how to get him out of the house for her plan. "Of course, take your time. I am sure Natasha and I can spend some time in the gym to pass the hours." Cat thought of Natasha and figured she could come up with a way to stall Clint at SHIELD so that they could get everything done while he was gone.

Clint caught the look of calculation on her face and rolled his eyes. No use worrying about what she was thinking because there was no way she would tell him until she was good and ready. He had quickly discovered she could be a very stubborn woman when she wanted to be.

Finishing his coffee he got up to kiss her goodbye and headed for the elevator. The second the door closed behind him Caterina set about a flurry of activity, tracking down Natasha first and foremost.

xXx

Clint nearly growled at the agent who stopped him just as he was headed home. This day could not possibly get any worse! A simple check in had turned into a nightmare. First some reports he was sure he had filed went missing, then an instructor had asked him to sit in on a training class and give his opinion of the cadets, a medical team wanted to check him over AGAIN and now this idiot had stopped him just as he was about to finally go home. "What?!" He asked, glaring at the young man who swallowed noticeably before speaking.

"Uhm Agent Barton, sir, I need you signature on this requisition form for those prototype arrows you wanted." Clint sighed and considered apologizing to the obviously terrified young man but decided against it. He quickly signed the form where indicated and left the building before anyone else could stop him. He was in such a hurry to get home in time for dinner that he didn't notice the young agent grinning at his retreating form, already dialling his phone.

xXx

Clint got into the elevator and punched the button for the penthouse. He sighed warily and shifted his weight off his ankle. It was aching after walking on it all day and he knew that Cat would probably give him an ear full about it later when she saw that it was swollen again. The lift stopped at the shooting range floor and the doors opened. He pressed the button for the penthouse again but nothing happened. Frowning he called out for JARVIS but there was no answer. Looking around he noticed that there was a dim light coming from the door that lead to the actual shooting range and went to investigate.

A hundred candles lit the space and in the middle of the room stood Caterina bathed in the golden glow. His breath caught in his throat at the sight of her. She was wearing a black off the shoulder mini dress that skimmed her body like a second skin. The four inch heels she wore made the muscles in her shapely legs stand out for his eyes to caress. His gaze travelled up her bare legs and black clad body, lingering on the cleavage displayed by the sweetheart neckline. Continuing his inventory of her beauty he took in her artfully tousled hair which tumbled down her back and over one naked shoulder.

Normally Clint preferred Cat with no makeup on but tonight the light touch of red on her lips and the smoky thick eye liner accented her beauty. He finally met her gaze and saw she was hungrily drinking in the sight of him in return. Slowly he stepped toward her and was confused she took a step back. She kept them apart until her hips came to rest on the table at the edge of the shooting range.

He saw his bow was laid out as he got closer. He looked at Caterina in confusion but Cat waited until he was standing beside her to explain. "I want to watch you shoot, please." Hawkeye didn't understand why the production just to watch him shoot but he could easily fulfill her request. She stopped him before he could pick up his bow though, sliding behind him to tug off his leather jacket. She pulled his leather bracer on his arm and tightened it for him, handing him his bow after it was in place.

Notching an arrow he sighted down the range but abruptly lowered the bow when he felt Cat's hands resting on his shoulders. She chuckled from behind him, "Go on. I want to watch you shoot. I want to feel you shoot." Clint took a deep calming breath and gritted his teeth against the sensation her hands were stoking.

As he drew the bow again her fingers danced over the ridges of muscle along his shoulders and all over his back. He let loose the arrow and for the first time in years he thought it might have hit just off dead centre. Hawkeye tried to turn to grab at Cat but she stopped him with hands on his arms. "No, no. I said I wanted to watch you shoot." He did growl at her then but notched another arrow in his bow as instructed. He didn't know what game she was playing but it was liable to give him a heart attack.

He prepared to shoot and just as he was releasing his arrow her tongue darted out to taste his neck. There was no guessing needed this time. It was obvious that the arrow had not found the bull's-eye. Again he tried to turn and he didn't let her stop him this time. She took a few steps back from him though when he reached out for her. "Are you trying to slowly kill me woman? Because let me tell you its working!"

Cat gave him a grin and winked at him. With her finger she indicated she wanted him to turn around and keep shooting. He gave her one last glare but complied with her request. He didn't know exactly what she had in mind but he was hoping it ended with them both naked and soon.

As if reading his mind Cat reached for the edge of the hem from behind him and tugged up on his shirt, making him pull it off. Her mouth and hands roamed freely over his back. Clint gave up even the illusion he was still shooting and gripped his bow tightly in one hand. The other clenched and unclenched at his side. As Cat's teeth grazed over one shoulder blade he lost all restraint. All but throwing his bow on the table beside him he grabbed her and pulled her forcefully against his naked chest. His mouth crashed down on hers with a fiery passion.

Her arms twined around his neck and into his short hair, seeking to pull him even closer. She did not fight him for dominance of the kiss but simply let him plunder her mouth. His hands slipped down to the hem on her dress and then climbed back up, taking the dress with them. He roughly gripped her firm behind and ground his hips into her, making them both groan into the kiss.

His mouth moved down the side of her neck. His anger at being toyed with and his need led him to nip at the sensitive skin at the juncture above her collar bone. Cat's gasp of mingled pain and pleasure brought him back to reality and he wrenched his body away from hers, swearing. He turned and walked a few steps away, trying to get a hold of himself, his breath coming in ragged gasps punctuated with swear words.

Caterina raised a hand to touch the now tender flesh were he had bitten her. She let herself have a self satisfied smirk for a moment. It had been her goal to prod him into losing control and it seemed that she had succeeded at least for a short time. He was always too controlled when he was with her and she was getting sick of it. He might think she would be scared by his passion but she was most definitely ready.

Clint heard her take a step toward him and turned back to face her. "What are you playing at kitten? Don't you know it's dangerous to play with fire?" His eyes pleaded with her as he spoke. Silently he begged her not to torture him anymore. Cat offered him a soft smile in return. Instead of advancing towards him she changed direction and went to the nearest candle, blowing it out softly. Barton watched as she moved from candle to candle blowing each out. She paused after a few and gave him a steamy look, "Lets go upstairs and see if we can start a blaze then shall we?"

His mouth dropped open and he just watched her blow out more candles until there was only one left. She carried it toward him, the flickering glow highlighting her high cheekbones and beautiful eyes. Clint bent to pick up his shirt and jacket but made no move to put them on as she held out a hand to lead them to the elevator.

Clint was surprised when the whole upper level was dormant. Everyone else must be out for the evening which was unusual. He guessed that Cat has something to do with that. The lights remained off as they walked down the hallway, nothing lighting their way except the single candle.

When they reached his bedroom Cat blew out the candle and slowly opened the door. Hung from the ceiling were beautiful paper lanterns with soft bulbs in them. The whole room was bathed in a soft light much like the candles downstairs. The covers on the bed were turned down. A bottle of champagne rested in a tub of ice beside two glasses. Cat let him have a minute to take everything in as she closed the door.

Before too long, her hands and mouth again found his back. He quickly turned to capture her hands in his, holding them above her head and backing her towards the door. His body pressed hers into the hard surface and he gave her a second to protest before he kissed her passionately. He released her hands and let his own travel to her tiny waist, smoothing the dress over her flaring hips with a satisfied sound. He pulled back as her hands began to slide down his chest. "Are you sure?"

She gave him her best confident smile and nodded, "I swear if you stop again I am going to scream!"

His eyes lit up and she thought she heard him mumble something about her screaming before the night was over one way or the other but it might have been wishful thinking.

Clint again slid his hands under her dress to knead her firm ass. He pulled her up toward his hips and her legs wrapped around his waist. Heading to the bed he gently set her down among the covers. His hands travelled from her waist to her feet to slip off her shoes one at a time.

After tossing her shoes on the floor he raised on ankle to his mouth to kiss it. His hands worked their way up her legs, skimming over the flesh with feather-light strokes. Cat shivered in response, laying still, waiting to see what he would do next. So far they were not out of the territory that they had traversed in the weeks leading up to this moment but she was anticipating every new sensation to come.

When Hawkeye's hands reached the edge of her dress they travelled over the top of the material. He brought his knees onto the bed and placed his hands on each side of Cat's ribs, his body hovering over her. Bending down he graced her with a sweet kiss and then another. Caterina began to get impatient with the way he was treating her like glass. To give him a push in the right direction she reached up to tug him down for a zealous kiss. He sat up, out of her reach and caught her hands with a chuckle, twining their fingers together. Pushing down gently he trapped her hands above her head. They both knew she was more than strong enough to break out of the hold if she chose but for the moment she was content to see what Clint would do next.

He leaned closer to kiss her again but backed away when Cat tried to lift her head to add pressure. Growling her head slumped back on the bed and she shot a glare at the man above her. He could sense she was losing patience with the teasing and so gave in. Bending his elbows he settled his whole length down on her, his hips cradled by hers, chest to chest. He kissed her then, forcefully and possessively. Cat hooked her legs around his thighs and pulled his body even closer causing them both to moan.

Releasing her hands Clint used one arm to support himself, the other hand tugged down on the dress' neckline. It was no use. The top was too tight to surrender what he wanted. Searching his hand found the zipper on the side and wrenched it down, finding she wore no bra underneath. Cat gave a shuddering moan at his loss of control. She had hoped to get this reaction with the planned seduction and was pleased with herself for cooking up the idea.

A moment later she stopped thinking anything at all beyond what Hawkeye was making her feel. His mouth inched closer to her now bare breasts, kissing the valley between them and nuzzling the underside but he avoided the sensitive tips. Cat arched her back, trying to bring his mouth where she desperately wanted it to go. Again he chuckled and continued to tease her.

With a growl Cat grasped his hair and pulled his mouth to her chest. Clint gave in and sucked her nipple into his mouth. His tongue stroked over it, much to her delight, flicking and soothing. A scream wrenched from her throat when he used his teeth to nibble the hardened nub. He used every part of his mouth to worship first one breast and then the other. Cat could do nothing but writhe in pleasure.

The whole time his mouth was busy with her breasts his fingers had been stroking along her ribs. He kissed lower but soon encountered the rest of her dress. He gave a shaky sigh and sat up, hands on the edges of her dress. Asking permission with his eyes he waited for a nod from Caterina before he pulled it quickly down her legs. His body was back on hers in a heartbeat. One hand slithered beneath her to raise her hips so he could press his erection into her core. The other wound around her shoulder to keep her tight against him. His mouth nibbled at the side of her neck as his hips ground into hers.

At this point Cat was desperate for him. Her body felt like electricity was coursing through it. Each touch of his fingers or mouth had her twitching in a way she could not control. Hawkeye revelled in her reactions to his touch. There was no misunderstanding what she liked, craved and needed. It was her first time and he wanted it to be perfect for her so he fought with himself for control.

Slowly he trailed his mouth down her body, taking the time to kiss the tip of each breast and run his tongue over each rib. He kissed a circle around her belly button and finally came to the edge of her silk thong. Again he paused before removing them to make sure Caterina was completely on board. Her response to the question in his eyes was to wiggle her hips impatiently which made him have to smother a chuckle.

Wasting no time he drew the panties down her legs and tossed them on the floor. He kissed up her legs, running his hands ahead of his mouth. By the time he reached her hip she was writhing and moaning. Her hands were fisted in the sheets and her head was thrown back in pleasure. His tongue lapped at her inner thigh and he felt her tense. She looked down at him a little nervously but his fingers stroked her stomach and along her sides in a soothing manner while he continued to kiss her legs and hip. After a moment her tension drained away and he knew she was ready for the next level.

He lets his warm breath play over her most sensitive spots, not touching her at all yet. Finally, when he was sure she was desperate for him, for more, he took her clit into his mouth. His hands grabbed her hips roughly to stop her squirming as her back arched and she screamed in pleasure. Releasing the little bundle of nerves from his mouth his tongue moved down to slowly lap at her lips.

Waiting until she was struggling against his hold on her hips, trying to get more pressure in the right spot, he released his hold and moved back up her body to kiss her. He gave her a lingeringly loving kiss first. Pulling back he gently stroked her cheek and smiled down at her when she opened her eyes. Her cheeks were flushed and her lips were parted as she breathed in short pants. She blinked slowly before focusing on him and returning his smile. Cat only waited a minute before pulling him down for another ardent kiss.

Clint took the opportunity to stroke his hand down her body again, sliding it between them to touch between her legs. She moaned at the contact, encouraging him to test how wet she was for him. It was his turn to shudder and moan when he found her dripping. He slid one finger inside her followed quickly by a second. Her kisses became rougher and more desperate as he stroked inside her.

Shuddering and gasping Cat gripped his biceps tightly, holding him to her. He could tell she was right on the edge of losing control, which was right where he wanted her. Slowly he withdrew his fingers and kissed her again to hide his smile at her disappointed whimper. Giving her one last peck he climbed off the bed to remove his pants. At last they were both naked. Clint held off getting back on the bed so that they could really look at each other. Cat's eyes were bright and her lip was held between her teeth as she studied his form. Her breath hitched when she took in how hard he was for her. After a moment she held out her hand to encourage him to join her again.

He smiled at her but took a moment to roll on a condom before settling back between her legs. Clint tried to hold back from entering her a while longer, kissing her to get her comfortable with his naked body against hers but she was having none of it. Her legs hooked around his waist and brought their hips into alignment. Giving in to her needs Hawkeye pulled back from the kiss to watch her face as he slid into her. The barrier he expected to find was not there and he was glad he wouldn't have to cause her even that little bit of pain.

She opened her eyes to gaze up at him when he was fully inside her, their hips resting against each other. Cat raised her arms to wrap them around his neck using the leverage to roll her hips against him. When the action caused him to grit his teeth to keep from losing control she repeated it. With a ragger gasp Clint lowered his chest to hers and slid out of her slowly to pump back in sharply. Cat rolled her hips to encourage him to do it again. His intention had been to go nice and slow but she wanted it another way.

He levered himself over her, changing the angle of his thrusts and was rewarded by a loud gasp from the woman below him. Hawkeye was determined to make this good for her until the last. He slowed his movements, focusing instead on finding the right rhythm to drive her higher. She shook and gasped underneath him. Her cries of pleasure pushed him closer to the edge as well.

Suddenly he brought his body down on top of hers, thrusting harshly. With encouragement from her he took her roughly until they were both on the edge of orgasm. He smothered the sound of their shared release with a kiss, not ending it until they were both coming down from the peak.

The two of them lay spent and motionless, still connected for a few moments. Caterina whimpered when Hawkeye at last had to get up to dispose of the condom but he was back in a flash to cuddle her. He pulled her into his arms, cradling her against his side. Her hand traced patterns on his chest while a purr slowly started to build. Clint looked down and saw her eyes were closed and she was almost asleep. A kiss placed on the top of her head was how he silently said the words he didn't yet dare to say out loud, 'I love you.'

_A/N: Wow that got a little intense…. Hope you liked it! That is basically the end of this part of the story. There will be an epilogue and a few little one shots to keep you all entertained while I work on the sequel to take down Upsilon. I hope you will forgive me that part two is a lot more Bruce centered but Hawkeye and Shadow Cat will still be there!_

_Please review. Let me know your favourite parts of the story. What made you laugh, cringe, and swoon? Tell me your favourite and least favourite parts of the whole story! Please!_


	21. Chapter 21 - Chapter 18 Outtake

A Chance At Life

**WARNING: Violence**

_A/N: As promised the fight scene outtake at the Dr. Doom base. Sorry for the delay in posting but I am become mildly obsessed with the Stargate Universe and can't seem to stop watching episodes long enough to write this for you guys. (Plus I got all the seasons of Spartacus for Christmas and all those yummy men have been occupying a lot of my thoughts lately.)_

**Chapter 18 Outtake – Battle Royale**

_**Previously  
**__Armed with the code to shut down Dr. Doom's robot army the team got the go ahead from SHIELD to take down the secret American base of the evil scientist. A quin jet ride later and the Avengers were crouched in a wooded area looking down on the compound. Tony used the night vision in his suit to plan out a likely route to avoid patrolling guards. _

_With Tony and Cat in the lead to make use of their night vision abilities the group stealthily moved in. Silently Cat took out all of the human guards that came near their position, knocking them unconscious and tying them up to face justice later. _

**Now**

The group crept closer to the buildings as stealthily as they could. To Cat's sensitive ears Thor and Dr. Banner made enough noise to wake the dead but she suspected it was actually not that loud. At least no more guards came to investigate any noise they were making.

At the edge of the brightly lit courtyard Tony found them some cover so they could form a plan. There were three buildings on the site that needed to be checked out. One was a huge building that must be a plant of some kind judging by the mechanical noises coming from within it. The banging and whirring a dead give away for large manufacturing machines. The other two buildings were smaller. One was definitely a dormitory for the human workers and the other they could only guess was a storage building of some kind.

The Avengers decided to split into groups so that all the buildings could be searched simultaneously. Natasha and Captain Rogers would take the dormitory. Their goal was to sedate any sleeping workers and guards with some handy little darts Tony provided, Clint mumbled that he didn't even want to know where he had space to keep them in that suit. The sleeping workers would later be interrogated by SHIELD when the fighting was all over and they had woken up. This way they would be out of the way during the main fight to take Dr. Doom.

Hawkeye and Shadow Cat were stuck with the warehouse like building. Cat argued to try and get herself on the main plant group but to no avail. They were sending the heavy hitters and the least stealthy in there which meant Tony, Thor, and the Hulk.

The two smaller teams could surely use the element of surprise so they got a head start before the main attack on the plant would start. The four selected for the two stealth targets set off around the yard, sticking to the shadowy edges until they reached their targets.

**Captain America and the Blackwidow**

The two agile agents easily dropped down from the low roof of the dormitory building, taking out both guards with little effort. They had been playing cards and their bored chatter covered any noise the two made while on the roof. Steve shook his head at their carelessness before following Natasha inside.

The sedative was easy to administer to the men tucked into the rows of bunk beds. Tony assured them that it would keep them sleeping for a good long time and Steve hoped that was so.

When they had finished they shared a smile, both of them thinking that their part of the mission had been unexpectedly easy. With a nod they set off towards the main building to join Thor, Tony and Hulk in case they needed backup. They didn't bother to skulk in the shadows but took off straight for the plant.

They made it no more than half way across the yard before a huge explosion could be heard from the direction of the plant. Steve and Natasha glanced at each other and took off in a sprint, determined to help their comrades. Before they could make it a handful of steps hatches began to pop open in the ground, giant mechanical spiders scurrying out of them.

One such hatch opened right at Natasha's feet. The spider was on her before she could dive out of the way. It knocked her to the ground with a leg to the face, crawling over her form and attempting to pin her down. For a moment she could do nothing but cover her head to avoid the legs thrashing all around her but quickly she got some traction with one boot. That little bit of friction was enough to push herself out from under the thing.

Steve had been running in front of Natasha when everything went to hell. He turned back to her just in time to see her go down under the robotic thing. His bellow of rage split the night and he wasted no time in jumping on the back of the spider, driving his shield down through its body nearly cutting it in half. It fell where she had been a moment ago before she pushed herself out from under it.

By the time he had pried his shield free Natasha was back on her feet. Her eye was already swelling and darkening with a bruise but otherwise she was no worse for wear. She shook off Steve's concerned hand that grasped her chin to get a better look at the damage. They could not spare the time to patch her up, not with the spiders quickly beginning to surround them.

The two of them arranged themselves back to back, ready and alert for the fight to come.

**Hawkeye and Shadow Cat**

They also crept toward their destination just as Natasha and Steve were at the same time. Everything in their area was quiet, only the faint sounds from the plant building invading the darkness. The building they has been assigned was the farthest from the lighted area and seemed pretty deserted.

The door was not locked and inside they found several different types of robots in rows as well as boxes and pallets of raw materials. At first the sight of robots put them on edge but it was clear they were all in some sort of standby mode, or perhaps just powered off completely. Cat couldn't help but wish that Bruce or Tony was there to check for sure. As much as she could she tried to keep them all in her line of sight as she checked the rest of the building, feeling uneasy in their presence.

Hawkeye hopped up on a stack of boxes and watched her progress through the building intently. He crouched in a ready stance, an arrow already notched on his bow. Determined to keep her safe he stretched his keen vision to every darkened corner, trying to surmise where an attack might come from.

As she got farther away from him he got edgy and found his way up on one of the I beams supporting the ceiling and jogged towards her. Always sure footed he had no fear of falling from the thin metal walkway, only fear for the woman he had come to care for. He shadowed her movements on the ground with his in the air above, jumping from perch to perch when necessary. Thankfully he was firmly in place when an explosion made the building shudder.

Suddenly the dormant bots came to life. Cat used the shut down code given to them by Dr. Banner but only the humanoid ones seemed to be affected. Swearing Cat threw the device and swung her battle claws down into a robot that looked a lot like a scorpion. A few quick jabs to its body and enough damage was done to shut it down.

"Do you want me to jump down?" Asked Clint from his high vantage point as he shot arrows and notched another in a seamless motion over and over, taking out every target he aimed for.

"No," came the terse reply. She didn't have time to explain that this way she could swing at anything that moved without fear of it being an ally, or that his vantage point might come in handy if she could just fight her way free of the knot of bots surrounding her for a moment.

Caterina was claws deep in yet another robot when it suddenly powered down. Before she could yank her claws out of the fallen one another scorpion like robot sidled up to it and slammed its tail down on her wrist. She felt the bones shatter and a scream tore from her throat, half anger and half pain.

Hawkeye turned sharply at the sound. His attention had been drawn to the far side of the building where a knot of robots had been trying to get passed a row of boxes to come up on Cat's back and now she was hurt. Without thinking he slung his bow over his shoulder for a moment and dropped down to hang off the beam from his hands. Barely waiting for his weight to rest on his hands he dropped down beside her and slammed the arrow in his hand into the offending scorpion's power core. Tackling Cat his momentum carried them both behind a crate before a small explosion set the robot flying away in pieces.

Quickly Barton used a meaningful glance to ask if she was alright. Cat cradled her hurt wrist against her stomach but gave him a firm nod in response. She could still fight though she did curse the loss of one of her battle claws before she even got it properly broken in. Clint held up his hand, rapidly signing to her that there couldn't be more than 4 or 5 robots left functioning from what he had seen before jumping down. Still using his hand he motioned her to go around the box one way and he would go the other. At her nod the two of them gripped their weapons and sprung in different directions.

Even down one hand they swiftly dispatched the remaining scorpions. It was only after they made sure that they are safe that Shadow Cat finally noticed that Clint was limping. Cat didn't bother making a fuss over his injury, knowing that he would continue to fight injured just as she did. Instead she pulled his arm over her shoulder and wrapped her good arm around his waist, taking some of the weight off his injured ankle.

The two of them went off to find their friends and help in any way they could.

**Captain Rogers and the Blackwidow**

Steve's well placed kick caved in the processing unit of the spider robot he faced. The report of Natasha's guns assured him that she was holding her own behind him as he swung his shield at another spider skittering toward him. A sudden silence made him turn to check on his partner.

She was fine, calmly replacing the clips in her guns with full ones. The spider closest to her had been dispatched by an arrow. Turning in a circle he saw that it was the last of them and took a moment to catch his breath. Even with his enhanced stamina fighting that many of those things had taken a bit of wind out of him. He had taken a few cuts from shrapnel and flailing robot limbs but he could feel them disappearing already.

From the direction of the warehouse building he saw Shadow Cat helping Hawkeye toward where he and Natasha stood. He spared a second to make sure that neither of them looked seriously hurt before moving quickly to Natasha's side and checking on her swollen eye. She rolled her good eye at his insistence to make sure she was fine but let him assure himself that her eye would be alright before making sure that Hawkeye and Shadow Cat were also mostly intact.

"I'm fine Tasha and so is Cat. Go and help the others. That explosion has me worried. We will be there as soon as we can." She didn't need to be told twice. With a nod to Steve the two of them take off running again toward the plant.

**Iron Man, Thor and the Hulk**

Tony had never been good at waiting so the fact that he was in charge of the 10 minute countdown to the head start the other teams got was probably a good thing. At least he wasn't pestering anyone else about how much time was left because it was ticking down on his helmet display. It took all his willpower not to pace, which probably would have given away their position.

Bruce was sitting down but the tension in his body showed his nervousness. This whole plan depended on the shut down code he had designed working as planned. If things went bad he could only blame himself. Keeping the other guy in check with that kind of pressure rattling around in his head was becoming a strain.

Thor was the only one of the three to actually be relaxed. He knew that Tony would let him know when it was time to attack and until then he simply waited. There was nothing else any of them could do at the moment so why worry about it? Confidence in his teammates was enough to keep him from stressing over the outcome of this strike.

As the seconds trickled away Tony got more and more antsy. He wanted this over with already. "Come on, Come on, Come on!" He whispered into his helmet where no one but JARVIS can hear him. Finally the display read zero and he jumped up to stalk toward the target. "Let's go people. We have an evil genius to capture." This time he made sure his voice was broadcast through his helmet to his partners.

The three of them approach the nearest regular size door, bypassing several loading bay doors. Even Thor figured it would cause too much attention to break in one of those. He settled for using his hammer to bust open the little door instead. Inside his suit Tony was again muttering, this time about how the door was probably unlocked but it was too late now.

Tony and Bruce were surprised that no alarm was sounded at the door flying open like that. Thor didn't even notice the lack of response to his actions. The sound of the machines was a muted roar in the background so Bruce had to assume that it covered any noise.

Looking around the group took in what they could see of the building. It was mostly one large, open floor. Machines, humans and robots moved about the room with no change yet to their presence. Down the left side of the building looked like a series of small rooms, perhaps offices. The far side of the plant was walled off completely, though they could see large openings for a cable system to move parts to the back from the production floor.

The trio moved deeper into the labyrinth of machines coming face to face with some human workers. The men barely registered their presence. Instead they stared down at the floor and went busily about their tasks. It seemed that they didn't care to get in the middle of any fight.

The robots that they encountered likewise seemed to be intent on their assigned tasks. In fact, the first resistance they met was in the form of a security guard. "Stop! Don't move!" He yelled, drawing his pistol from the holster on his belt. He tried to block their path towards the office like rooms on the left but Tony simply pushed passed him, shoving him into a machine. The guard began to panic and fired a shot at Tony's back.

The shot bounced off harmlessly but it did serve to get his attention. Turning back toward the man Tony lifted his hand. The guard seemed to realise that he was way out of his league because he raised his hands in the air. Bruce thought he could actually see him shaking from his vantage point behind a large injection moulder. Tony wasn't taking any chances with him though and shot him with a sedative dart, not bothering to catch him when he slumped to the floor. The bruises he got from the tumble would serve him right for shooting at Iron Man, he figured.

With the alarm finally being raised Tony told Dr. Banner that it might be a good idea to use the shut down code for the robots. He couldn't help but agree. There was just one problem, when he tried to use it only the bi-pedal, vaguely human shaped robots comply with the order. The other production robots keep on going about their business, not acknowledging the intruders.

"Uhm, they are not shutting down Brucey," trust in Tony's ability to point out the obvious. Bruce pinched the bridge of his nose, trying to remain calm.

"Yes, I see that Tony. There should be a processing hub for the robots around here somewhere. We just have to find it and turn it off." With those words they set off again toward the side of the building. The computer hubs were clearly not on the production floor so there was a good chance they were in the offices.

Surprisingly they don't meet any more guards on their walk. The first office held, well, an office, nothing of the computer parts that would be necessary to control the robots. Those things they found in the second room.

It was packed with the whir of cooling fans and blinking motherboard lights. Rows of hard drives were mounted on racks around the room. Tony wasted no time trying to use JARVIS to hack into the programs but that would take time and they needed to get these robots offline so they could find Dr. Doom as soon as possible. Bruce also had no luck trying to crack the system manually from the computer interface.

Surprisingly it was Thor who came up with the idea to simply destroy it all. His idea was to just smash all the drives and be done with it. Tony figured it would just be easier to blow it up and set about rigging a few charges. They couldn't know how bad an idea that was.

When Tony set off the explosives the first clue they had that something was not right was that the explosion was much bigger than it should have been. It threw all three of them flying. Bruce lost his control and let the Hulk out, which was probably good thing at this point in the mission because they were suddenly surrounded by robots trying to kill them.

Hulk was smashing two of the offending critters together gleefully before Tony and Thor could even pick themselves up off the floor. Soon all three of them were sending electronic parts flying as they got down to the business of taking out their attackers. It was not just Hulk who was enjoying this more than the sneaking around. That was until one of the spider like robots jumped on Thor's back, he didn't think too much of Tony shooting it while it was still hanging on him.

As Tony was heaving a dead robot into a group of still functioning ones he caught sight of Dr. Doom running into the back area of the plant that was partitioned off. He yelled to get the other's attention and pointed back there, hoping they would get his point.

Apparently they did because Hulk took off in great leaping bounds, taking a portion of the wall with him as he pursued the evil scientist. That missing piece of wall was Tony's second clue that this was all a trap because through the hole he could see one giant ass robot coming to life.

Thor and Tony manage to dispatch the remaining beast like robots and took off to join Hulk. They could hear him roaring but most of the wall was still up which meant that they could not see anything going on behind it. When they did reach the hole in the wall and jump through they find something unexpected.

Hulk hasn't ripped the thing apart yet. They could see him trying but it seems to have some kind of energy shield that prevents him from really touching it. While they watch Hulk jumped to punch the thing in the head but his fist bounced off an invisible barrier before it could touch the robot. Hulk landed back on the floor and roared in fury.

The robot raised its hand and fired an energy beam suspiciously like Tony's reactor discharge at Hulk, who just covered his head. It didn't seem to do too much damage to him, then again most things don't.

Tony and Thor don't even hesitate to attack the thing. Thor's hammer just bounced off the shield the same as Hulk's attack had. Tony's own energy beams made its shield falter for a second but not enough for anyone else to get in and do some damage. He even tried shooting from the arc reactor on his chest but it barely made more of a difference other than making him the primary target of the giant robot.

The robot realised that Tony's weapon might be capable of taking out its shield and so concentrated its fire on him. Thankfully the energy weapon didn't seem to do more than be absorbed by the Iron Man suit. They were at a stale mate. Even Thor's lightning strikes only seemed to make the shield falter for a moment before it was back in place. With the barrier up there was no way to take the thing down.

Tony tried to think of a plan. He would have loved to talk to Dr. Banner but seeing the Hulk throwing himself against the shield again and again that was definitely not going to be an option any time soon. He let the other two distract it while he ducked behind a pillar and tried to come up with something.

There was only one thing that might work but it would take most of the power in his suit to pull off. If it didn't work it was going to be very, very bad. Then again he didn't have much of a choice if they were going to take this thing out and finally get Dr. Doom in custody.

The plan was to overload his reactor to create an electromagnetic pulse that should shut down any electronics in the area. Of course the robot could have shielded electronics like his suit did and then they would be severely screwed but desperate times call for desperate measures.

Taking one last moment to think of Pepper he called for Hulk and Thor to be ready, telling them that he was going to try to bring the shield down. For this crazy plan to have even a chance of succeeding he had to get as close to the shield generator as possible. Calculating how big a radius the EMP would have taken too much so he just opted to air on the side of caution.

He stopped in front of the thing just short of touching the shield. He could see the robot's processor and what he thought must be the shield array on the thing's chest so that was where he aimed. This would have to be done quickly before it could grab him. 'No time to second guess this plan,' thought Tony as he overrode the fail safes and dove into position.

The overload worked, though Tony couldn't be sure if it caused the shield's to drop because the suit suddenly lost power. He dropped out of the sky and bounced with a metallic thud across the floor. He didn't try to move right away, just laid there groaning. That turned out not be a wise decision.

As soon as Tony started to drop Thor and Hulk were on the robot. The blast didn't take out many of its systems but at least it did seem to make the shield fail. Thor's hammer made contact with its head, staggering it and hopefully blinding some of its sensors. Tony later suspected that Bruce was helping to guide Hulk because he tore right into the power core and main CPU.

It took only moments for the robot to go down after that. Go down right on top of Tony, who was still lying on the floor. The integrity of his suit did a good job of deflecting the impact but part of it gave way, crushing him in the process. By the time Hulk had lifted the thing off of him Tony could barely breathe. Thor pulled him out and helped him to sit up.

Tony pushed Thor away and told him to find Dr. Doom. He might be in pain but not enough to risk that maniac getting away. He needn't have worried because when Dr. Doom was fleeing Captain America and the Blackwidow were on their way in. Dr. Doom ran smack into Steve's chest and was efficiently put on the ground.

Dr. Doom sputtered and fumed. He could not believe that they had defeated his masterpiece. That robot was designed to keep all of their weapons at bay. He didn't know what had caused the shield to fail but he would not make the same mistake if he ever got the chance to take out the Avengers again, something less elegant but more effective surely.

He was beginning his next plan when the SHIELD agents arrive to take him into custody.

_A/N: Hope you liked it. I know some of you were disappointed that I didn't flesh out the original draft more so this is for you all! Let me know what you think. I hope that you followed the jumping around of the story. I thought it was rather neat. The story ends where Chapter 18 takes back up again. When I wrote it originally I had not idea how they got the injuries I mentioned so I had to come up with something._

_And no I am not planning on writing any more about Dr. Doom so you'll never know what he might be planning haha._


	22. Chapter 22 - Epilogue

A Chance At Life

**WARNING: Slight spoilers for other one shots that I might write**

_A/N: This is just total adorableness. A little glimpse into the happy ever after they should all get._

**Epilogue – Happily Ever After  
**7 years after the battle for Dr. Doom

Caterina looked out at the group of people gathered in her backyard. The Avengers no longer lived and worked together daily since a new generation had taken over the guardianship of Earth so they made a point of seeing each other a few times a year. The bonds that had formed over years of fighting side by side still kept them a close knit group despite distance and other responsibilities keeping them apart.

As usual Steve was manning the grill with help from Clint. The two looked adorable in aprons patterned after their superhero alter egos. Tony always thought it was funny to give people little gifts that hinted at their old lives. Cat rolled her eyes thinking of all the pairs of Avengers underwear he had given her over the years.

She spied Tony now, bouncing both of his twin boys on his knees. Adam and Craig had just shared their fifth birthday and were already showing signs of being mechanical geniuses just like their father, much to Pepper's dismay. The two of them had taken apart countless systems in the mansion only to grow bored before they were put back together.

Speaking of Pepper, Cat looked around to see where she was only to spot her coming out of the house with another pitcher of lemonade. Caterina didn't fail to notice the way Tony's eyes lit up when he saw her. She might have been jealous if she didn't have her own wonderful husband who looked at her in exactly the same way.

Shaking herself out of her thoughts Shadow Cat decided it was much too quiet to be a good thing. No sooner had she noticed the lack of childish noise than peels of laughter and yelling came from the side of the house. Tony's two boys, not to be left out of any fun, squirmed to be let down and shot off in the direction of the racket.

A quick glance told Caterina that once again Natasha was stirring up trouble. Sure enough a very wet red head came bounding around the corner with a water pistol in each hand, firing over her shoulder. Once she saw the twins coming toward her she began dousing them as well, causing more delighted giggles.

Two older boys came around the corner. Caterina's own adopted sons, brothers who had lost their parents in a car accident and had no relatives to claim them. The day Cat had found out that, thanks to the tampering with her DNA, she could not have children she had been devastated. It was Clint's idea to adopt. He knew first hand how many children in foster care needed a good home and she was quick to agree to the idea.

Dylan and Conner were already five and seven when they were adopted two years ago and they had not stopped growing. They took to their new parents and extended Avenger family quite well, especially Natasha. Even though Hawkeye and Blackwidow had formally been retired the two SHIELD Agents worked together stillm training new recruits so the boys got to see a lot of their aunt. Natasha was always helping the pair get into some kind of trouble.

Shadow Cat mentally made a note to do the same with Natasha's kids, if she and Steve ever got around to having any. It wasn't the first time she had made that pledge to herself and she had many plans saved up for when the two of them got around to that eventuality. They had been married for three years so Cat thought it might be some time soon.

Cat thought back on all the Avenger weddings. First Tony and Pepper had made their long time relationship official, followed by Clint and Caterina who tied the knot while Pepper was very pregnant with the twins. Thor and Jane didn't waste any time either, getting married in a lovely ceremony on Asgard less than a year later. Natasha and Steve took the plunge the year after that. Only Bruce held on to his bachelorhood but Cat suspected that his long time girlfriend Jessie might soon put an end to that.

Speaking of Bruce and Jessie they finally arrived at the party. Only Thor and Jane could not make it to the barbeque. They usually only got back to Earth once a year and Jane often planned that to be around Christmas since it was her favourite holiday and it wasn't celebrated on Thor's home world.

Cat watched the two scientists dodge the pile of boys on top of Natasha and join Tony at one of the picnic tables. She went to join them and Jessie leaned closer to her and spoke in a fake whisper, "We are dangerously out numbered by boys here. We need to do something about this situation."

Cat grinned at her and held up her hands. "Don't look at me. Two boys are more than enough. I don't plan on adopting girls any time soon." Which Tony seconded, eyeing the pile of squealing youngsters getting tickled. Pepper piped up too, a mischievous smile on her face "Does that mean you are volunteering Jessie?"

With that comment Jessie blushed and Bruce started to sputter which set them all to laughing. Cat was almost caught off guard when Hawkeye leaned in to kiss her neck and ask what was so funny but his cologne gave her some warning as it washed over her just before he touched her. "Oh just asking Bruce when he is going to proposing. You know, the usual."

Hawkeye cast Bruce a sympathetic look. He remembered what a hard decision it was for him to ask Caterina to marry him. What kind of crazy girl wanted to be stuck married to an assassin who risked his life on an almost daily basis. Then again he never figured he would meet a woman like Shadow Cat. The last five years of marriage, and the two of dating before that, showed him just how right they were for each other. Clint had no doubt that Jessie was the right woman for Bruce. He just had to get over his fear of not being good enough for her.

Shaking the thoughts from his head he pulled himself back to the present. There was no use worrying about something that was not his problem, and Bruce's love life was definitely not his problem. The two of them would work it out eventually.

"Well," he spoke as the laughter died down. "I just came over to say that the food is almost ready. I better go extract Tasha from the munchkins and get everyone washed up. Come on Tony I could use some backup, just like old times." He squeezed Cat's shoulder softly and her hand came up to cover his for a moment before both men went to wade into the flailing pile. Picking one son up under each arm the two men disappeared into the house amid a flurry of giggles.

Natasha bounced up from the ground. Her hair was mussed and her clothes had grass clinging to them but she looked so happy. She was grinning and her cheeks had a healthy flush. Dancing over to her husband she received a quick kiss before joining the other adults at the tables. "I'll never get tired of chasing those kids around!"

Pepper rolled her eyes at that. "Oh yes you will. Just wait until you have your own and see if you have energy to chase after them like that."

"Well actually about that," said Steve while he set the platter of meat down on the table, "We have an announcement to make." He and Tasha shared a loving look as he bent down to put his hands over her stomach.

"Oh my god!" Squealed Jessie. Everyone else around the table was grinning at the pair before Steve could even get any more words out. Bruce stood up to shake his hand and the girls each pulled Natasha into a hug, their hands lingering on her stomach. Tony and Clint returned from the house with the boys to find the whole group in an uproar. It didn't take them long to figure out the cause and they too added their congratulations.

Tony slapped the captain on the back and told him he was in for it now. "The mood swings, late night cravings, not to mention the dirty diapers and all the crying. You have so much too look forward to!" Pepper must have kicked him under the table for saying that because he jerked, "Ouch! It's true"

His wife levelled her steely gaze at him. "My 'mood swings' were anger over you forgetting to show up for our birthing classes. You spent the first three months hiding in your lab whenever there was a dirty diaper that needed changing and the cravings? You never even had to leave the house. You just had anything and everything delivered. Also you can not say anything about my craving for bologna and cheese sandwiches when you regularly eat much worse things!"

Tony opened his mouth to make a come back but Cat put her hand over it to keep him quiet. "I'd quit before you dig yourself in deeper if I were you." He let out a sigh and mumbled something about horseradish and cucumber sandwiches being delicious before stuffing his face with a burger. Pepper continued to glare for a moment before fixing a hot dog for each of her kids and digging into her own meal.

Caterina looked around the table. Her husband and sons were the best things in her life but when the rest of the Avengers were around everything felt perfect. It saddened her that circumstances had led to the team moving apart. Tony and Bruce had headed back to Malibu to continue working out of the main Stark lab with their wives. Natasha, Steve, Hawkeye and Caterina were stationed outside of New York working at the SHIELD training base, not to mention Thor off on another planet. On the rare days that they could be together, even when not everyone could make it, Cat felt like she was in paradise. The contented looks and loving glances flying around the table told her that the others must feel much the same way.

Each Avenger shared a single thought that day. Life was good.

_A/N: Well I still plan on a few one shots to fill in parts of the story. Like Tony's bachelor party, Clint and Steve's proposals, and the commotion over the birth of the twins. They will mostly be pure lemons so here ends the story of Shadow Cat and Dr. Doom. The sequel is the story of Jessie and Upsilon (don't worry Cat will be in that one as well)._

_Please review to tell me if you liked the story and feel free to offer any suggestions for one shots you want to see to fill in back story. _


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